Cape Town - A suspected teen hitman made his first appearance in the Athlone Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after he was nabbed at the weekend.
Tony Brown, 19, was arrested and charged for the murder of Joshua Simekunana, 23, after cops hunted him down on Sunday.
Joshua was killed on Saturday when Brown allegedly opened fire on him while he was giving two people a lift in Ryburg Street, Hanover Park.
Police sources and a witness say after being shot, Joshua lost control of his white Toyota Corolla and crashed into the fence of the Ryburg Terraces Old Aged Home.
A witness, who asked not to be named, told the Daily Voice she saw the gunmen walk up to the car and shoot the driver several times in the head while the two passengers managed to escape.
Joshua’s mom, Josephine Jeffreys, says earlier reports her son was a member of the Americans are not true.
She says he was merely giving a lift to two people affiliated to the gang.
He planned on going to a karaoke that evening and asked her for money.
“Die meisie in die kar is die dogter van ’* American en die man is ’* American, (The girl in the car is the daughter of an American and the man is a American” the mom explains.
“Joshua was not a gangster, he just gave them a lift. He gave everyone lifts, how can the police say he was a gangster? They have no idea what our family is going through.”
Following Joshua’s murder, Philippi police along with the Metro Police’s Gang and Drugs Task Team searched for Brown in Hanover Park.
The officers surrounded Hangklip Court shortly after 4pm and when Brown spotted the officers, he tried to run away, but ran straight into a police officer.
A police source says Brown is a “well-known hitman” for the Mongrels and committed a murder last Wednesday.
“The Mongrels, Ghetto Kidz and the Laughing Boys are mos fighting with the Americans and the Dollar Kidz. The guy killed on Wednesday is a Dollar Kid and Tony’s signature move is shooting people in the head. In both shootings, the victims were shot in the head at close range,” the source explains.
Philippi police’s Lieutenant-Colonel Dawood Laing confirms the arrest, but adds: “He has only been linked to Joshua’s murder because there is a witness statement. In the murder on Wednesday everyone saw the suspect open fire on the victim in Stonelands Road and chase him in the street, but nobody wants to submit a statement. He appeared in court and was kept in custody.”