“It’s a miracle no one died in that house” said a neighbour of a family whose teenage son was assaulted with a sword, mother stabbed and daughter shot in an armed robbery at their Berea home on Saturday.
‘It’s a miracle no-one died’
The neighbour, who spoke to the Daily News on condition of anonymity, on Sunday said they had been startled by what they initially thought were fireworks coming from their neighbours’ house further down the road.
“It went bwah bwah bwah; I can’t remember how many but it was more than one and loud. I thought it was firecrackers because there were so many,” said the neighbour.
It was only when police sirens blared that the neighbour realised the sound had, in fact, been gunshots.
Police spokeswoman, Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala, said three men stormed the Berea home just before 8pm on Saturday. They were armed with a knife and guns. “One family member was stabbed by one of the men,” she said.
The neighbour said the mother had been stabbed while her son had been cut on the head with an ornamental sword that was in the house.
The daughter had shot at the assailants, injuring one before they grabbed the gun from her and shot her. They then fled in a waiting getaway vehicle.
Gwala said the assailants made off with a cellphone and handbag.
When the Daily News visited the home on Sunday, their relatives were too distraught to speak. However, it is understood the injured victims were in a stable condition in hospital.
The gate of the humble home, through which the robbers had entered the house, was reinforced with a chain and padlock, the lock having been damaged. There were still blood stains on the door.
The neighbour said what happened to this family was heartbreaking because they lived so modestly.
“We could be talking a different story right now, we could be talking about the end of a teenage life, a family having to bury three family members and for what? We thank God that they did survive, miraculously but they will likely suffer from the trauma, not being safe in their own home... and for what?”
Gwala said no arrests had been made as yet. Community crime pages on social media that posted the armed robbery alert appealed for people, to look out for a man with a bullet wound. http://iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/it-s-a-miracle-no-one-died-1969347
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