Shopping center shooting victim speaks out

Alta Barnard along with her sister in-law were held up at gun point at a local shopping centre for a laptop.

With a pistol pointed against her upper leg, Barnard told the News how she was robbed and how thankful she was that their lives were spared.

“The vehicle raced down the parking lot and stopped next to us, the next moment, we were surrounded by a group of suspects.”

She remembers how all the doors of the blue Mazda the suspects were traveling in opened at once and moments later they were cornered.

“My eye immediately caught a glimpse of a gun and I heard how they armed their guns.”

Before they could say a word, Barnard was grabbed around the arm and pushed against her vehicle with a firearm pointed to her leg.

“I didn’t look up.”

As Barnard just kept looking at the gun pointing to her leg, she claims that it would be impossible for her to positively identify any of the suspects,”It all happened so fast”.

The News asked Bernard what went through her mind at the time of the robbery when she said that for some reason she thought the suspects would take her.

The next moment a gun shot went off.

“I saw the car guard on the ground, I smelled the gun powder and saw the ‘spark’ from the shot that was fired.”

After the shot was fired Barnard remembers how the suspect let go of her arm and they all made their way to their vehicle.

Barnard told the News that the number plates of the suspects vehicle were run through a search and was found to belong to a different vehicle.

She recalls how she heard the centre’s security shouting for the gates to be closed as the suspects made their way out of the parking lot.

It is alleged that the security guards couldn’t close the gates in time as the suspects raced past them with the firearms pointing out of window. The following morning Barnard made a shocking discovery when she packed her vehicle for the day.

She found her office file with a skid mark on it along with a hole in her car seat from the shot that was fired.

Barnard then recalls an incident that took place earlier that week when two women approached her in Krugersdorp West to warn her that she was being watched and followed by a suspicious man at the post office.

“Somebody is following you, you must go home,” warned the women.

She didn’t think much of the incident at first but can not help but wonder if the two are related.

“I really want to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time. Also thank you to the centre’s management who checked up on me afterwards. They can take my laptop, I am just happy to be alive.”