15-year-old 'grazed' by bullet in latest gang shooting

A 15-year-old girl was injured when a bullet grazed her head in what appears to be a gang-related shooting in Helenvale on Wednesday.

The shooting happened in Deverill Road shortly before midday when the girl, whose identity is being withheld for her protection, was injured.

This comes after Mathew Prince, 22, was found shot in the head in a field near Jaftha Street in Salt lake, Bethelsdorp, at about 8.20pm on Tuesday.

Prince’s death brings the gang-related death toll over the last three weeks to nine and almost 15 people injured.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the girl was standing in the yard of a house in the street when the shooting erupted.

“It appears that she was not the intended victim. However, it is unclear who the gunman was shooting at,” she said.

“It appears that the gunman hid behind a nearby tree across from the house and started randomly shooting. After the shooting, the gunman ran away.”

Naidu said the teenager was rushed to hospital for treatment after the shooting.

Prince’s murder on Tuesday comes only a day after another shooting saw a man, 29, shot in the leg while he was walking to a shop in Buys Street.

Naidu said they were alerted by Prince’s aunt who was called after his body was found lying in an open field between Jaftha Street and Harrington Street in Salt Lake.

“Prince sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Nothing was taken from him and he has no gang affiliation,” Naidu said.

Naidu said Prince lived in Cleary Estate and reasons for him being in Jaftha Street were unknown.

Naidu could not confirm if the shooting was linked to gangsterism.

Reasons for the spike in gang violence remain unknown, however, police suspect that it is linked to either a turf war or retaliation attacks between rival gangs.

In another incident, at about 9.30am on Wednesday, shots were being fired in Regional Road in Helenvale.

“As they approached, the suspect dropped the firearm. Police arrested him on the scene. They recovered the loaded Browning firearm,” she said.

“We are waiting to establish where the firearm was stolen from.”

The teenager is due to appear in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court on Friday. 

The cases are being investigated by the provincial organised crime investigation unit, also known as the gang unit.