A 12-year-old boy was killed in a senseless shooting while with his friends at a wi-fi hotspot outside a community hall in Wesbank.
Lee-Wayde Snyders was downloading music when suspected gangsters ran down the street and randomly opened fire around 5pm on Sunday.
The Grade 5 learner at Wesbank No.1 Primary School died on the scene in Rowallan Crescent.
His grief-stricken ouma Marie, 54, says she was visiting a friend when she heard the gunshots ringing out.
“We were drinking tea outside but when they started shooting, we ran inside,” she says.
“I didn’t know that some of those bullets fired were going to kill my grandson.”
She then heard people screaming her name, shouting that her grandson had been shot.
“I went to the scene and when I arrived, he was not responsive.
“He was on his side and blood was just streaming from his head and legs.
“The bullets hit him in both legs, like they wanted him to stop so they could shoot him again.
“After he fell, the shooter still walked up to Lee-Wayde and shot him twice in the head.”
She says the skollies were on foot and ran off after killing her grandchild.
“There is a gang war but my grandson was not a thug, he was a quiet boy who was always by the wi-fi [hotspot] which is about 100 metres from our home,” the devastated granny says.
“I didn’t think I would be personally affected by this war that is happening in Wesbank.
“That day he was with his friends, playing and also downloading music and movies.
“He was shot while trying to run away from the shooters.”
The ouma says she is now left to worry about how she will bury her grandson.
“I didn’t think I would need money for a funeral so soon, I am really stressed.”
SAPS’ Captain FC van Wyk added that a 15-year-old boy was also shot and injured, and no arrests have been made yet.