Tuesday, March 3, 2009

One Way Street

The story I covered today was one of those interesting ones that unfold and leave you not knowing who to believe.
It all started early this morning I received a call from a frantic mother who told me her teenage son was lying in hospital. He’d been shot by a cop for driving the wrong way up a one-way street. Oooookay.
So I fetched a photographer and we hauled ass to a hospital in Alberton where we encountered young Donovan who showed us his wounds – the entry and exit holes from a bullet shot through his gut. He had a gold front tooth, a tattoo on his neck and he was seriously annoyed cos the very same bullet had blasted a hole straight through his car door.
His version of what happened: “Me and my pal Wesley and this other retard were in my car.”
I asked for Retard’s name.
“Hey, we aren’t being nasty or anything, he knows we mean it in fun when we call him retard. He’s just this guy who fell off a roof on his head and now he’s a bit brain damaged and can’t work or anything but his company still pays him. But I think they’re gonna pay him off now cos he’s seriously a bit … like mentally handicapped or something.”
“Anyway – I don’t want to lie to you, so I admit that I had a bit of vodka in me at the time. So me and Wes and Retard go to a primary school to fetch Wesley’s nephew and I pull in the wrong way up a one-way. Next thing these two privates jump out with guns. I hear Doof! And then Wes starts yelling at me to reverse and get out cos they shot me.”
So Donovan drives home and his mom rushes him off to hospital after he stumbles out of his car all pale and dizzy and unable to speak properly.
Then the cops arrive, throw a few slaps around and then chuck Wes, Retard and Donovan's brother in the police cells.
I call the cops. Here is their version: Two cops out on patrol spotted a three guys in a car driving recklessly. They stop them, and the driver pulls a gun on them and they fire off a shot. The car races off, they chase it and find it abandoned in Donovan's yard, so they arrest the three guys they happen to find in the house after linking the car to two house robberies in the area. Then they discover that they shot someone so they release one of the guys in custody.
Don says: he was shot, then framed and all three guys are still in custody.
The cops say: he is a wanted suspect and all of them will be held in custody and will be taken to court tomorrow to face an attempted murder charge.
Totally bizarre!

6 comments:

  1. sheesh... that is weird. i'm sure the rest of the story will come out in court?

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  2. Hi There! Interesting post, you tell it in such a way that I feel that I am there. With respect to your post below - I used to be a Social Working in the SAPS. I cannot stress the importance of trauma debriefing enough. You need to look after yourself and see someone if you don't feel ok. We do not acknowledge the effects of secondary trauma or vicarious syndrome.

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  3. Wow...that's pretty intense, gold tooth and tattoos? Sounds like someones telling stories and it's not the police....

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  4. Hectic. How you cover a story like that? I'd battle not to pick sides and lose objectivity.

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  5. Its very difficult to get to the truth in a situation but the person I feel sorry for is the mom with the sons getting on the wrong side of the law and now with medical bills too.

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  6. Spear - thanks so much for the concern. I do have a place to go for trauma debriefing, thanks.
    Tom - you are SPOT on with your observations.
    Momcat - I also felt sorry for the mom, but have since heard that she is a Ma Baker sort, living off the proceeds of her sons crimes.
    Angel and Tam - More on this story to come!

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