A FORMER detective, who alleges that top ranking police officers from the Hawks Anti-Gang Unit hunted and killed his son to eliminate him from the towing industry, says he will go all out to expose corruption within the police.
Bluff resident, Gregory Loftus, relentless in his quest to prove that his son, Bevan Loftus, was being set up to be killed, is urging first responders at the scene where Bevan and four others were shot and killed, to contact the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to give evidence.
Police say Bevan, 34, and Ryan Santos, 26, Chase Fynn, 22, Michigan Hippolyte, 20, and Sihle Zondi, who were shot during an alleged shootout with police at a rented flat in Morningside on April 1, were linked to the ongoing gang violence and shootings in the Durban area.
But two days before a summons could be served for police to return the CCTV hard drive which Gregory says contained evidence which would clear his son’s name and provide an alibi to crimes he was accused of, Bevan was killed.
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“My son has been intimidated and harassed since December 2020. We could not understand why. I believe that he was a target due to his tow truck business. He has been in the towing industry for eight years and had no problems until 2020.
“The towing industry is a ruthless operation, and since 2020, five of Bevan’s tow truck drivers were shot and killed. The Anti-Gang Unit was established at the time and did excellent work in the communities. Bevan only became a person of interest to police in 2022, when a newly formed team began investigating him for two attempted murders which occurred a year prior in the Bellair area.
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“Police officers first arrived at Bevan’s home, which is next door to mine, on December 13, 2022. Various items were seized by police when they entered our homes without a search warrant. I was charged for being in possession of my old police issue bullet proof vest and handcuffs, which were hanging in my garage. I pointed out to officers that they should take note of how old and dusty the vest was.
“I explained that I resigned from the police service in 2009 and those were items which remained with me since then. My service pistol was returned, however, I am a licenced firearm owner. I was charged for being in possession of state property, obstructing and defeating justice because I didn’t know Bevan’s cellphone number or whereabouts, and for impersonating a policeman. Further charges for being in possession of ammunition and a stolen motor vehicle which was parked in Bevan’s yard were added. The vehicle was later verified as being legally owned by Bevan,” Gregory alleges.
Gregory spent over a week in prison and claims he was asked to turn state witness and hand his son over to police for charges to be dropped.
When an alleged false case of a shooting at Bluff Meat Supply on The Bluff surfaced on February 3, 2023, Gregory said Bevan fled when police showed up at his home in Wellfreer Road.
“Police officers told my wife and I that we must get Bevan’s funeral policy up to date and that they were going to kill him. They said we would bury him very soon. He remained on the run, and knew that if he was found, he would be killed. We verified with many key roleplayers and police at the time, and it was confirmed that no shooting took place that day at the butchery.
“On March 31, I applied for a High Court order to have the CCTV hard drive which police took from Bevan’s home to be released back to us. The footage will show that Bevan was at home. Footage from Bluff Meat Supply also clearly shows that Bevan did not drive his vehicle to the butchery, and that there was no shooting.
“The summons was supposed to be served on April 3, but Bevan was shot and killed on April 1. I spoke with him about 15minutes before he was killed. He told me that he was glad that I was able to get the court order and said he would come back home once the summons was served.
“Residents from neighbouring flats who spoke to me at the scene told me that they heard police entering the flat and screaming for the boys to get down. Only about 15 minutes later, did they hear gunfire.
“After putting pressure on the police to conduct a thorough investigation, on April 24, a team was sent to do ballistics tests at the flat where the shooting occurred. I hope that IPID gets to the truth. Police officers cannot behave like the judge, jury and executioner. I know that exposing corruption among high ranking police officers will lead me into deeper water and they will come after me, but I am more confident that justice will prevail in the end.
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“I appeal to the responding officers who attended to the scene on April 1 to give evidence to IPID. I know that there were only a few officers involved in the assassinations and those who played no part should provide statements to IPID. There will only be space for one state witness. Those who were complacent in reporting the facts at the scene will be held accountable,” added Gregory.
Spokesperson for IPID, Robbie Raburabu, said investigations are ongoing.
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