Rising violence in Crossmoor: police team assigned to investigate recent shootings
Two residents killed, one seriously injured in recent attacks
Jeeva Pillay, 63, was shot and killed on Monday
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RESIDENTS in Crossmoor, in Chatsworth, are on high alert after two residents were shot dead and a third was injured in separate incidents over the past two weeks.
Police have set up a dedicated team to investigate the shootings.
In the latest incident on Wednesday, a resident from Crossmoor Drive was shot after two gunmen approached his vehicle. The man was hit on the head with a firearm before being shot in his thigh. The gunmen stole his cellphone, car keys and about R400 in cash. The victim was hospitalised due to his injuries.
Two days earlier, Jeeva Pillay, 63, of Bottlebrush Crescent, was shot dead in his driveway. He had returned home from doing seva (selfless service) at the Hare Krishna Temple when he was confronted by a lone gunman.
The suspect shot at him multiple times before fleeing empty handed. He died hours later in hospital. Pillay’s pet pit bull was also killed in the attack.
A week earlier, Jayseelan Jayce Naicker, 45, of Montford, was shot twice and died 15 minutes later at the gate of a home he was delivering food to on Crossmoor Drive.
Kishore Hambapersad, the spokesperson for the Crossmoor Community Policing Forum (CPF), said: "Police are working with the CPF to find the perpetrators. The police are treating these incidents seriously and currently have leads on one of the suspects. They have also designated a team to investigate these shootings.
“There have been three shootings in a period of two weeks, and we are concerned about the increase in gun-related crimes. We encourage members of the community to join us and be vigilant when out on the road."