When Metro Policeman Marvin Hollander was shot and killed on 12 December 2014, he was hailed as a hero who died in the line of duty – but that was the official line.
Initial article: Final salute to fallen hero
Hollander’s common-law wife, Chrystal Williams, has a completely different and disturbing version of what happened on the tragic night. She was told he was killed in the cross-fire but she said this was not true. According to her, Hollander, who was a normal Metro Police officer, was assigned to a special crime intelligence unit, which he was not trained for, which dealt with “big” cases. (The unit was disbanded in suspicious circumstances immediately after the incident). On the night of his death, Hollander was already off duty and on his way home when he and his two colleagues heard on their police radio that there was a hijacked vehicle close by in Meadowlands. They informed other units that they were close and would rush there in the interim, adding that they were in an unmarked vehicle in plain clothes but were wearing police-issued bulletproof vests.
When they arrived at the scene, where the hijacked BMW and hijackers still were, they called for back-up. The hijackers surrendered, putting their hands in the air. As Hollander and his colleagues got out of their vehicle, a Flying Squad vehicle occupied by two officers arrived. They stopped dead next to Hollander’s vehicle, jumped out of theirs and started firing at Hollander and his colleagues with automatic rifles. Hollander and one of his colleagues were hit and fell to the ground. The third officer who was with him then shot one of the hijackers, but they managed to flee with the BMW and were never caught. The two Flying Squad members did not stop firing though, and one allegedly walked right up to Hollander, firing more shots at him. He was hit seven times in total, the first shot being a fatal head wound. More than 40 bullets also hit a house close to the scene.
“What is also strange is the fact that not one of the shots hit his bulletproof vest,” said Williams.
“A young man in the house that was hit watched the whole incident unfold, yet the police refused to take his statement. It was also strange that although Marvin was shot on the Friday night, the police only did a crime scene investigation on the Monday.
“I believe that the Flying Squad vehicle was in cahoots with the hijackers and was escorting them to a chop-shop that was just around the corner from where the incident happened. That specific Flying Squad vehicle was also not supposed to be in that area,” said Williams, who was pregnant with Hollander’s third child at the time.
A murder case was opened at Meadowlands Police Station but was later handed over to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
“It’s now two years later and we still have no answers. The two Flying Squad members are also still working,” claims Williams.
But it does not end there for Williams. Although she was promised by the Director of the Metro Police that they would take care of her three children, she has yet to receive a cent from them. A month after his death, Hollander’s police medical aid was cancelled, although they were promised that the children would be taken care of medically and as far as their education goes. Williams, who is unemployed, says she can not even afford to put her two youngest children in a crèche in order to find employment and barely makes ends meet.
Hollander’s colleague, Thozamile Mhlanga, who was also shot, although only in the arm, is in the process of suing the police for negligence. He said he is suffering from psychological trauma and cannot use his hand effectively any longer. He also told the Record they were shot at “on purpose”.
On 11 October, the Record requested comment from the Metro Police regarding the promised benefits as well as comment from Ipid as to the status of the case. They have yet to respond.
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