A Golden Arrow Bus Service employee allegedly shot and killed a homeless man in Mowbray.
Stanton Daniels, 53, was killed on Thursday morning at the bus terminus.
Golden Arrow Bus Services' corporate affairs executive, John Dammert, explained their bus, which sells passenger smart cards, arrived at Mowbray bus terminus at 4:50am, to drop off staff at the sales kiosk.
Dammert says: “A homeless person reportedly drew a knife and proceeded to attack a security officer who is employed by an external security company that is used by GABS to accompany its kiosk sales personnel.
“It was reported that in an act of self-defence, the security officer discharged his firearm, which resulted in the fatal wounding of the attacker.”
But Daniels’ friend Elizabeth Sellidon says he was not a threat.
She claims: “Every morning the Golden Arrow bus people would wake him up and tell him to move.
“He got up and tried to pick up his needle to spike, he would [usually] spike and then push around the trolley to the Central Square.
“After picking up the needle he noticed something wrong with it and then tried to fix it with the broken knife that he had, it fell and then he pick it up from the ground and as he got up he was shot in the stomach by the Golden Arrow guy.”
She says her friend had lived on the street for nearly fifteen years would sleep by the sales office.
“If it was any of us who did this then we would go to jail and so I insisted that the police arrest the shooter.
“I informed his child’s mother about this incident. Staten’s body was laying there for four hours.
“I’m angry because another friend of mine was killed by people from Lavender Hill. She picked up a jacket and she was accused of breaking into someone’s car.
“We are always the first suspects if anything happens. No one wants to hear our side of the story.”
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi says Mowbray police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“Upon arrival at the crime scene in Victoria Road at around 5am, they found the body of a 53-year-old man who sustained a gunshot wound.
“The victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel.
“Report suggested that the suspect arrived for work and tried to remove people sleeping in front of his office door.
“The people got up as requested whilst the 53-year-old male produced a knife and wanted to stab the suspect, who took action and shot the victim. Mowbray police are investigating a case of murder.”
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za