An innocent teenager has been gunned down in a suspected mistaken identity case.
Matthew Griffiths, 17, who was a bright high school pupil and soccer ace, was shot three times in the head on Sunday evening while standing with his friends near a shop in Delft.
His dad John, 44, explains: “He left around 6pm with his friends and then minutes later we were informed about the shooting.
“Weird enough we didn’t hear the gunshots go off. We rushed to the scene and he was still alive and we took him to the day hospital.”
John says that Matthew was alive for five hours.
“It hurt me to see him like that. I could see that he was in a lot of pain.
“He kept saying ‘dad’ and at midnight he called me. When I looked at him, I could see he was trying to say something and that was it. He left us.”
John says witnesses saw two youngsters shoot his son.
“He would always cross the road and stand opposite his friends and on that day he did that.
“One of the suspects walked past him and then came back with the shooter who fired three bullets.
“This was a mistaken identity case because my son was not a gangster, he was a Grade 10 learner in Kasselsvlei High.
“They mistook him for someone else, I think maybe because his face was covered with a mask and he wore a hoodie.”
The heartbroken dad says the senseless killing has left him empty.
“He was our first child and only boy, they took my life away. We have no idea what to do with ourselves.
“He was a soccer star and we knew he had a bright future in the sports and he did well academically.
“We all miss him so much, he was such a funny guy and a food thief and we will hold all those memories forever.”
Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè says no arrests have been made yet.
“On Sunday at around 7.30pm, a 17-year-old male was shot in Gilo Street, Delft, by an unknown suspect,” he explains.
“The victim was admitted to hospital where he succumbed to death the same evening.
“The circumstances are being investigated and an arrest is yet to be made.”