Ennerdale father who ‘mistakenly’ killed son to be tried for murder

The father who allegedly shot and killed his son outside Fred Norman Secondary School in Ennerdale after mistaking him for a hijacker on Tuesday night will face murder chargers, The Star has reported.

Police have confirmed that they have opened a murder case, and that the father will appear in the Protea Magistrates’ Court.

Soweto West cluster spokesperson Captain Mpande Khoza related the father’s version of what transpired. The 50-year-old man says he had fallen asleep in his locked car after dropping his son off at a study group outside the school.

“The boy came back and knocked on the passenger window of his father’s vehicle.

“The father, who was asleep in the car with his firearm on him, got scared … and pulled out his firearm and shot towards the direction of the person who was knocking. He then realised that it was his son after he had fired the shot.”

According to Khoza, when the father realised what had happened, he rushed to the nearest hospital, but was too late, as the child died along the way.

WATCH: Father kills son after mistaking him for hijacker

Fred Norman Secondary School in Ennerdale is pictured, 6 June 2018. A pupil was killed outside the school last night, allegedly by his father. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

A conflicting report, however, has led to the state opening a murder case against the father. Some pupils at the school had witnessed an altercation between the father and son during the day on Tuesday, according to Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona.

“According to information at our disposal, there are learners who witnessed some incident [between father and son during the day] and went back to class to call educators,” he told The Star.

Mabona also revealed that Gauteng MEC for education Panyaza Lesufi plans to deploy psychologists to the school.

“We’re focusing on the entire school,” said Mabona.

Exams that were set to be written on Wednesday have been postponed and the pupils sent home.

“We felt the need to postpone the exams that were supposed to be written today,” Mabona said.

Lesufi visited the school on Wednesday, where he was accompanied by police.

A relative of the deceased teenager said family members were still at the mortuary and would speak to journalists at a later stage.

Mpande confirmed that a case of murder had been opened and that the father would appear in the Protea Magistrates’ Court facing charges of murder.

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