Cape Town - A MAN accused of killing four people in a bloody massacre, on Tuesday had a court in stitches when he insisted he wasn’t a tikkop, but a tik drinker.
Lyle Lamohr, 26, and Anthony “Humpty” Williams, 28, each face six charges including four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and the possession of an illegal firearm.
They allegedly shot and killed four friends in a flat in Parkwood on 24 April 2015.
Kelvin Mouton, 30, Ryan Harland, 19, Ryan Petersen, 22 and Chaundre Minnies, 25, were gunned down in Angelier Hof, Kestrel Way, Parkwood.
Chaundre and the two Ryans were visiting Kelvin, who was an alleged member of the 26s gang, at the time of the shooting.
During their trial last year, the shooting’s only eyewitness testified that Kelvin was shot when he went to answer the door and Chaundre was shot twice while she lay sleeping.
The witness told court she dived under a bed when the first shot rang out at the door.
This was followed by several more which went off “like a machine gun” in the house.
She said she was clearly able to see the accused who fired the fatal shots.
The court heard the attack was possibly the result of a rivalry between Lamohr and Mouton over the accused’s ex-girlfriend, Bianca Elbrink.
Lamohr faces a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm for hitting Bianca days before the murder.
On Tuesday, Lamohr took the stand in his own defence.
When State prosecutor Evadne Kortje asked the self-confessed drug dealer if he had been smoking tik at the home of one of the deceased the morning of the shooting, he replied: “Smoking tik? I don’t tik. I drink tik. I throw the tik into a Coke or something. I’m not a smoker, I’m a tik drinker.”
He insisted he was not involved with the shooting, but admitted he had previous altercations with Kelvin.
“Kelvin and I had a few arguments at times and we fought once or twice. At the time of the shooting I was in Blackbird Street at the house shop buying R10 loose cigarettes when I heard the shots,” said Lamohr.
“When I wanted to go to the scene of the shooting, Kelvin’s cousin came to skel with me and said dis ek wat haar neef geskiet het (Kelvin's cousin came to scold me and said that I shot her cousin). I told her it wasn’t me.
“I was at the shop and was on my way to the scene now. I told her she could ask the auntie at the shop.”
Lamohr became confused on a number of occasions when asked about his whereabouts on the night of the shooting, saying yes, then no, then that he was with a friend not previously mentioned.
The case has been dragging on for two years as some witnesses insisted on testifying in camera after others were threatened and injured. Judge Ashton Skippers also transferred to the Supreme Court of Appeals while the Legal Aid lawyer for the accused got a promotion to become a magistrate.