Durban - A Durban motorist was shot twice in the back in a bizarre shooting incident allegedly involving police.
Ashley Singh's vehicle was shot at about 20 times in the early hours of Friday morning.
He was driving from Suncoast Casino, where he works as an IT technician.
It is alleged that police followed the 26-year-old to the Malvern police station where he had sought refuge and then shot him twice in the back.
The Malvern resident was rushed to Entabeni Hospital and was transferred on Tuesday to the neurosurgical ward. He has been advised by doctors not to remove a bullet lodged in his spine.
It is unclear what prompted police, who were driving in an unmarked white Golf GTI, to have allegedly fired the shots at Singh’s Ford Fiesta and to have followed him into the parking area of the Malvern police station where he had sought refuge.
According to Singh’s fuming father, Lesley Singh, police started shooting at his son’s car near the McDonalds fast food outlet in KE Masinga (Old Fort) Road, apparently for no reason.
He said Ashley was on his way home after his 4pm to 1am shift had ended.
“Ashley did not stop because he feared for his life. He thought by seeking refuge at the Malvern police station he would be safe.
“There, instead of protecting my son, the same police officers in the unmarked Golf GTI ordered him to jump out of the car and to put his hands up,” he told POST.
“Ashley was then shot twice in his back. One bullet is still lodged in his spine. The doctors said it is too risky to have it removed because of the nerves. Ashley is in a lot of pain and is lucky to be alive.”
Lesley added: “Ashley was not driving a stolen vehicle. He is not a criminal but was treated like one by the police officers. I have instructed my attorney (Azghar Ally Khan) to formulate a big damages claim against the minister of police”
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said the incident was being probed by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.
The Post