Cape Town - The residents of a small town along the Cape floral region are living in fear after yet another deadly shooting in the area.
On Tuesday, May 23, a brazen shooting in Darling, alleged to be gang-related, had the community on edge, fearing for their safety.
A 26-year-old man was gunned down, in full view of what is believed to be his son and his girlfriend, on the corner of Bloekomboom and Eikeboom avenues after 8pm.
The video footage of the murder has been shared across social media platforms.
IOL is choosing not to share the video because of its gruesome nature.
In the 60-second video, the victim can be seen having a conversation with two other men and a woman while a child stands nearby and cars and people pass.
A group of five people head towards the victim and his friends. One person walks up to them as the rest pass.
A second passer-by heads toward the victim and shoots him in the face. In full view of the camera.
He fires two shots. His friend, who had initially stepped up to the victim, takes the gun and continues to fire it.
Amid this, the victim’s two friends flee and the child falls to the ground next to the victim. The woman, believed to be the victim’s girlfriend, looks away as the shots ring out.
The shooter, who is standing over the victim’s body, struggles to fire the gun. He cocks the firearm again, and more shots go off.
The gunman then calmly walks away, past the woman.
She grabs the child from the floor and starts shaking the victim.
He was shot seven times.
Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie confirmed that a murder investigation was under way.
“Darling SAPS has opened a murder docket for further investigation, following a shooting incident that claimed the life of a man in his mid-twenties on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at about 8.20pm on the corner of Bloekomboom and Eikeboom avenues in Darling.
“It is alleged that an unknown suspect approached the victim, later identified as Zhakier Voterson, and shot him multiple times in the head and face. The victim succumbed to the injuries sustained. The unknown suspect fled on foot,” Pojie said.
“The motive for the attack forms part of the investigation. The possibility that the attack is gang-related cannot be ruled out, but neither can it be confirmed at this early stage of the investigation,” Pojie said.
A resident, who has lived in Darling for more than 20 years, spoke to IOL on condition of anonymity.
“Darling has always been a peaceful town. However, in recent years, things have changed. Gangsters from neighbouring areas have come here to hide out after doing whatever they do.
“Our children, who have not known gangsters or gunshots from the big cities, now mistake cars backfiring as gunfire.
“In recent months, there have been so many murders in the area. Something needs to be done because soon, like on the Cape Flats, innocent people will become victims,” the resident said.
Police have appealed to anyone with information on the murder and the whereabouts of the gunmen to contact either the Darling SAPS or Crime Stop at 08600 10111.