A 19-year-old man standing inside the shop was also injured when he was hit in the face by a stray bullet from the shooters.
Shulail Kagee, 45, a Bangladeshi national, had stepped out of his shop about 5.30pm when he was shot in the head. He died at the scene.
He was the owner of Budget Supermarket, in Siddique Avenue, Southern Cross, and leaves behind his wife and a three-year-old child.
Elsies River Community Policing Forum deputy chairperson, Imraahn Mukaddam, was on the scene and says he is shattered by the unnecessary death of an innocent man.
“Both shots were fired from outside the shop. There was no robbery so the motive for the shooting is unclear, but it would appear more like a hit than a random shooting as the victim was shot in the head.
“It’s very traumatic for me personally as they are clients of ours. I had to console the victims’ family as they arrived at the scene,” says Mukaddam, a bread distributor.
Friend arrives at scene. Photo: Leon Knipe
The crime-fighter was also unhappy with the way the crime scene was managed.
“Too many people were allowed access to the scene. I had to personally escort members of the Bangladeshi community out of the shop and to remain behind the police line.
“The body was also left lying on the scene for three hours, creating even more interest from the community. This is a very peculiar incident to us as the Bangladeshis are not known to be involved in criminal activity and are mostly honest and hard-working individuals,” he adds.
FC van Wyk confirms the shooting. “The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated and the motive is yet to be established. No arrests have been made yet.”
Call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 with information.