A trip to buy a snack late at night ended tragically for a group of friends when one of them was shot and killed without any provocation.
The 22-year-old woman was hit by a bullet while sitting in a vehicle parked outside a tavern in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga early on Saturday morning.
It is alleged that the victim and her friends had parked their vehicle next to a tavern, which was already closed when they arrived to buy potato chips.
According to police, a 23-year-old half-naked man allegedly opened fire randomly.
Victim succumbs to injury
Selvy Mohlala, spokesperson for police in Mpumalanga, said the suspect emerged from the tavern and instructed the drivers of the vehicles parked outside to leave.
Before they knew it, the suspect allegedly started firing towards the direction of the friends’ vehicle.
Reports say the woman, who got hit, was rushed to Mapulaneng Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries hours later.
“The driver of the car quickly left the scene [as the suspect was firing], however, on their way they [the friends] realised that the deceased was bleeding,” said Mohlala.
“They rushed her to the hospital where she unfortunately succumbed to the injuries.”
Suspect arrested
Mohlala said a murder docket was opened in Bushbuckridge and a 23-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with murder.
He is expected to appear in the Bushbuckridge magistrate’s court on Monday.
Police are not ruling out any possibility of adding more charges, said Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Daphney Manamela, noting that investigations are continuing.
Manamela warned that people must adhere to the Firearms Control Act and refrain from being trigger-happy.
In October, a similar incident claimed the life of a 28-year-old woman after she was stabbed to death by her cop husband at a liquor outlet.
Police said at the time that a scuffle had broken out between the couple, resulting in the cop allegedly breaking a beer bottle and stabbing his wife.
The cop later attacked his wife’s friend who was trying to intervene. He has since been arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder.
