A Phoenix pupil accused of shooting a classmate in the shoulder on Friday, October 16, is alleged to have frequently carried a .357 magnum revolver to school, even after being warned not to do so.
The incident, which occurred on the grounds of Stanmore Secondary, has prompted the school governing body to strengthen security measures, using metal detectors.
On Monday, the 14-year-old, who cannot be named, appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on charges of attempted murder, theft and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
According to a police source, the boy had taken his uncle’s firearm to school frequently.
“The boy lives with two uncles, both of whom own firearms. The firearms were kept in a safe and the safe keys were in one of the uncle’s drawers. While helping his grandmother pack clothes, in one of the uncle’s drawers he found the keys to the safe. He stolen the firearm, a .357 magnum revolver,” the source said.
He added that on the morning of the incident the boy arrived at school just after 7am. “It is alleged that he was fiddling with the gun before it went off and he shot a fellow pupil on the shoulder. This was not the first time he took the gun to school. The boy ran off but was later taken to the Phoenix police station where he was charged and released in his parents’ custody until his court appearance.”
SGB chairwoman Josephine Naicker said the school conducted searches daily. She was at a loss to explain how the gun would have gone undetected all this time.
“We see this as a very serious matter and since Monday we have brought in SAPS and Rhema Security to help. At the school’s drop off zone bags are being searched. On the two other entrances the security company is using their metal detectors to search pupils as they enter the school.”
Naicker said violence and drugs were rife at the school and they were trying their best to resolve these issues.
The shooting victim, Cameron Ganesh, is on the mend. But speaking from his hospital bed, he said he was still in shock and had nightmares about the incident.
“I was sitting on a rock and he (the alleged shooter) was sitting behind me. I was chatting to my friend when suddenly I heard a gunshot. I got up then I felt a sharp pain on my shoulder,” the Grade 9 pupil said. “I started feeling light-headed and everything around me was a blur. I realised I was shot. I sat back on the rock and my friends carried me to the office.”
Cameron said his friends were comforting him and told him to keep his eyes open. “I blacked out for a few seconds. When I regained consciousness I saw my parents and then the ambulance.”
He said his classmate had brought the gun to school several times. “I saw him with it on previous occasions and our friends warned him that he will get into trouble if he was found with it, but he did not listen.”
Regret
Cameron said neither he nor his friend had informed any of the teachers about the gun on the other occasions, and he now regretted this.
His parents, Ronald and Monica Ganesh, do not blame the classmate for what happened and are focusing instead on their son’s recovery.
“My wife and I were at work when we received a call saying our son was ill. When we got to the school we were in shock. With the ambulance we rushed to hospital,” said Ronald. “The bullet shattered in his left shoulder and surgeons managed to remove most of it.”
Their son is undergoing physiotherapy and seeing a psychologist.
“He cannot move his arm and he is having trouble sleeping. Every loud noise frightens him. Depending on his recovery and frame of mind he might only go back to school next year,” he said. “It will be his decision if he still wants to attend Stanmore Secondary.”
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education could not be reached for comment by time of publication but Tim Gordon, national chief executive of the governing body foundation, said schools needed to be more vigilant. He said the department also needed to provide security for schools.
Police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane said the shooting was being investigated.