A shooting in Westbury has intensified community outcry over teenage gang violence.

On Tuesday, two teenagers were fatally shot and five others injured when a group of four teenagers opened fire on their alleged rivals.

At approximately 1pm, seven teenagers were sitting on the porch of a house on Croesus Street when they were approached by four individuals, believed to be members of a rival gang.

Three of the suspects were armed and opened fire on the teenagers without warning before fleeing the scene. The Gauteng police are investigating the incident.

Amidst a backdrop of community outrage, with some members shouting accusations of police failure to apprehend known suspects, other concerned residents implored both the police and government to intervene and halt the escalating gang violence that is claiming their children’s lives.

“Our children are not safe. They were just chilling, but now they can’t even sit on the veranda without being attacked by gunmen. However, However, I blame the police for not doing enough to address the guns and ammunition that these young kids carry openly.

“I also blame the parents of some of these children, who do not report their children to the police. Someone is supplying guns to these children. However, no one seems to know anything about this. The situation is very bad,” said one community member, who did not want to be identified for fear of victimisation.

Another concerned parent said: “What is happening now is that our children’s pictures are being posted on social media, and just because some child has a beef with another. They get people who are willing to pull the trigger and kill our children. This community is gone. There is no hope. No one is safe. There are no opportunities. After matric, people just stay home and sell drugs because they are hungry.”

Speaking to the media, Deputy Police Commissioner General Fred Kekana pleaded with the community to work with the police to bring about calm in the community ravaged by gang violence and other social ills.

“The parents of those young people and the community around must help us because this is a joint responsibility. They must say, as the community, we will not allow these things in our environment. It must also start with the street committees so that we protect our streets. No drugs must be sold, and if so, we deal with those people. That on its own will be a deterrent,” Kekana said.

Kekana confirmed that the shooting was gang-related, adding that the suspects, even though they are yet to be apprehended, are known.

“The suspects are known to the community, and we know where they live. We are on a manhunt for them… During the incident, the commander of crime prevention and the visible commander of Sophiatown police station were only three streets away with their team conducting routine crime prevention. This area is known for drug-related activity and gang turf conflicts. They reacted immediately,” he stated.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za

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