Cape Town - Well-known Cape Town criminal lawyer Noorudien Hassan died on Monday night after being gunned down outside his home in Crawford.
The family of the criminal lawyer confirmed that Hassan died after he was shot six times outside his Burwood Street house.
His brother Yasseen Hassan told the Cape Argus that the family was shocked by the incident.
“We are shocked and traumatised by the incident. He was shot six times and we are still in the process of finalising things for his funeral later today,” he said.
Police spokeswoman Noloyiso Rwexana said the circumstances surrounding the murder of the 45-year-old lawyer are being investigated.
She confirmed that Hassan was shot and killed at around 10.05pm by an unknown suspect who is yet to be arrested.
“The motive for the murder is yet to be established. Any person with information regarding the incident is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111,” said Rwexana.
William Booth, a colleague and chairman of the Cape Law Society’s criminal law committee, said Hassan’s murder came as a shock, as well as a warning to practising criminal lawyers.
“On behalf of the committee, our sympathies go to his family, I believe he had young children.
“None of us know the circumstances of the incident. It is a horrific incident and as criminal lawyers we work under difficult circumstances. This sends a message to everyone to be very careful,” said Booth.
Booth added that he hoped Hassan’s killers were brought to book.
“He was very quiet and remained in the background in a number of cases he was involved in. For someone’s life to be taken in this way is a shock to the law community and we are hopeful his perpetrators are brought to court as soon as possible,” said Booth.
When the Cape Argus visited Hassan’s home in Burwood Street this morning, the house was vacant.
According to his brother, all the family members were at his mother’s house in Lansdowne where the funeral proceedings would be held today.
Meanwhile, several men arrived to pay their respects at his mother’s house - where the Hassan brothers have a store.
Lansdowne Community Police Forum chairman Rafique Foflonker said: “The community is shocked and outraged and we hope the perpetrators are brought to book.”
Hassan was involved in a number of high-profile criminal cases, including Western Cape businessman Irshaad Laher’s racketeering case at the Western Cape High Court.
Laher faces seven charges: racketeering, corruption, money laundering, the illegal sale of firearms and ammunition, theft, possession of prohibited firearms and illegal possession of ammunition.
Cape Argus