Cape Town - A Mitchells Plain Plain boy was hospitalised after a bullet fired by a cop grazed his head in Town Centre on Sunday.
Twelve-year-old Bernard Lewis was hit by a bullet fired by a City of Cape Town Law Enforcement officer who was trying to catch a group of robbers near the fish market.
Police say the boy was in the crowd when the bullet grazed his head shortly after 10am.
A witness who called the Daily Voice said: “They just shot a laaitie (child) here by the fish market. It was a Law Enforcement officer and the cops don’t want people to take pictures. The guy apparently had a knife and was robbing people, but they arrested him and this laaitie (child) was innocent. I don’t know if he is with his parents, but the paramedics took him away.”
Law Enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, says the officers received the tip-off from a shopper about a group of robbers operating in Town Centre.
“The officer called for back-up and approached the group who split up and ran. One suspect advanced on the officer with a knife in hand. The officer fired a warning shot and after a short scuffle, arrested and disarmed the suspect.”
Captain FC van Wyk confirmed the shooting and says Law Enforcement officers received reports about a group of suspects armed with a gun and knives.
“The officers spotted the group and gave chase. The one officer then fired at a suspect that was carrying a large knife. The child was injured by a bullet graze wound to his head. The child was taken for medical treatment.”
Van Wyk says police arrested the 34-year-old suspect who faces a charge of attempted murder.
Lewis was taken to Mitchells Plain District Hospital for treatment and throughout the morning Law Enforcement officers could be seen entering and exiting the emergency ward.
By Sunday afternoon, Dyason confirmed that the boy was in a stable condition after being treated by doctors.
“The City has provided transport to the hospital for the family and they will also be assisted with trauma counselling. The incident is being investigated by SAPS,” he says.