A man was shot and killed, and left for dead.
On Sunday evening, March 31 Logan Coopen (64) or better known as ‘Chicken’, was at the casino with his wife.
“They left the casino around 00:30 and arrived home around 01:00 on Monday morning. My mom got out the van and my dad was still outside. He asked my mom to make him a cup of tea and a sandwich, which she did as soon as she got inside the house. She suddenly heard gunshots and ran upstairs to where my aunt and them were sleeping and shouted that they are being robbed. They pressed the panic button and called the police. My mom went outside to find that the bakkie was not there, but only saw blood. They put him at the back of his own bakkie and he bled excessively where he was suspectedly shot, there was a lot of blood in front of the garage door. It seemed like they dragged him on the paving. They dropped him on a gravel road at Susterstroom and left him for dead. When we finally reached him, he was already dead,” Tashni Padayachee, Logan’s daughter said. The couple drove a Hyundai.
She added that he was only found at around 04:00 on Monday morning.
“According to the autopsy, he was shot in his upper side, damaging muscles and hit on the head with the gun. His belongings were still with him.”
He was described as a loving man, very helpful and always kind. Tashni added that he was well-known and very energetic.
“He was loved and respected by all.”
His son, Lushen Koopan said: “My father was a very generous person, who instilled the value of sharing and doing good for the less fortunate. I can only hope that I will one day become half the man he was. Everything that I have and everything that I have become is because of my parents sacrifice. It is sad to see my mom have to say goodbye to her soul mate on a day that is meant to be joyous.”
A memorial service will be held on Thursday morning until around 13:00 at 1 Gazani Street, Pine Ridge.
A case of car hijacking was opened at Witbank Police Station and is still under investigation.
