ELSIES River has been rocked by the murder of a teen who was identified by his school shoes after being killed by a gunshot to his face.

The incident took place on Friday, September 19, at approximately 2:33pm on 18th Avenue in the Norwood neighbourhood.

Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk, said SAPS members attended to a shooting incident, and upon their arrival, they found the victim lying in the road with multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

Van Wyk said: “Circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation. The motive is believed to be gang-related.

Van Wyk added that a thorough investigation by Elsies River detectives and members of the Anti-Gang Unit led to the arrest of five suspects, aged 16, 21, 23, 27, and 30.

He added: “They are due to appear in the Goodwood Magistrates Court on Monday, September 22, for the mentioned charge,” he said.

The incident has sparked outrage and grief in the community. A local activist, who was on the scene, described the harrowing experience of identifying the victim.

She said: “I tried to see if I could identify the boy. Because I work in the community of Elsies River, I couldn’t see his face. His face is so badly damaged.

“His dad came, and his dad identified him by the school clothes and the shoes, only the shoes.”

Another community member emphasised the growing concern over gang-related violence.

She said: “We are here as mothers. We are here as women. We are here as mourning mothers. This has become normalised. We have normalised death. We are here today again at a scene where we have to identify, where a mother has to identify the body of a child, just school shoes.”

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