STRAY BULLET hits young girl’s room following shootout
Rhodesfiled family detail the horror of realising a stray bullet hit their daughter's room following last week's truck crash on the R21.
A Rhodesfield family was left reeling after realising a stray bullet from a shootout between suspects and security hit their daughter’s room on June 26.
The family was awoken by gunfire at about 01:40 after a truck crashed on the R21 opposite their home.
Cases of liquor stolen during an armed robbery at a warehouse in Kempton Park just moments before the crash filled the truck.
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According to Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, police in Gauteng, working with private security officers, intercepted a gang of 44 men during the robbery.
“Officers were following up on information that the warehouse would be robbed.
“When they arrived at the scene, the suspects were loading liquor to the value of over R15m into four trucks,” he said.
Masondo added that they had already loaded two trucks with liquor and driven them off.
“The police gave chase, and one of the trucks crashed on the R21 in Kempton Park,” said Masondo.
A family member at the house at the time of the incident agreed to speak to the Kempton Express on condition of anonymity.
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“We were sleeping when the incident happened. We heard a screech, a bang and three gunshots. We thought it was just a major accident and alerted the Kempton Park SAPS until we realised the severity of the situation,” she said.
“We went outside to see what had happened. We saw the truck and noticed the authorities were on the scene, and we just assumed it was a car accident.”
The following morning, she said the family found a spent bullet at the side of the house and noticed the broken window of the daughter’s room.
According to the family member, on further inspection, they found that the bullet had hit one of the walls inside the daughter’s room.
“The incident has left my family feeling unsafe and shocked. I don’t have words to describe our emotions. We never thought something like this could happen in our area.”
She said the young girl was asleep in her room when the incident occurred.
“No words can explain how we feel. The young girl was left hysterical and scared.”
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She said it had been a struggle for the daughter to process what happened.
The police found the second truck taken during the robbery in Norkem Park and arrested one suspect. They also seized two VW Polos used in the commission of a crime.
