An 11-year-old boy is fighting for his life after being hit with what is believed to be a stray bullet in Bigonia Street, Laingville last night.
Provincial police spokesperson Col André Traut have confirmed the incident will be investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
The shooting follows after service delivery protests in the area. Residents were waiting on political leaders to come and address them on Friday morning while they closed the road to and from the town.
According to a community leader, the protest started out as a peaceful one but soon erupted as police allegedly used force to disperse of the people.
In a statement Traut says, the boy was shot in the head “after our forces were withdrawn from the area and it is yet to be established how the boy sustained the injury.”
However, in a video relating to the incident, it can be seen where police officers were in streets shooting after 20:00 on Friday. Although it is unclear who they were shooting at, the video shows the police officers shooting in the direction of the informal dwelling where the boy lives.
The community leader believes one of these bullets penetrated the walls and hit him.
The boy was transferred to the Red Cross Children’s hospital in Cape Town Friday evening and underwent an operation this morning (Saturday).
