A young man from Lotus River has died in a hail of bullets after he was allegedly seen with gang members amid a violent extortion battle.
Grassy Park Police Station commander, Colonel Dawood Laing, says the 20-year-old man was shot five times on Saturday afternoon for allegedly walking with Six Bobs skollies.
“The victim was running with the Six Bobs but not necessarily a gang member,” he says.
“They were standing on the corner of Buck Road and 4th Avenue when a silver Toyota Conquest pulled up and fired a hail of bullets at the group.
“He was struck five times – three times in the face and twice in the chest. We found five 9mm cartridges and he was declared dead on the scene.”
Laing says no arrests have been made as yet, but the latest shootings come amid a renewed turf war between the Six Bobs and Dog Pounds.
“It’s not drug turf but both gangs are busy extorting shops and businesses,” says the top cop.
“Now they are fighting to expand their turf so they can get more protection money and there has been a marked increase in the shootings in Lotus River.
“The death of this youngster is unfortunate but if you run with gangs, there are consequences.
“We call on the community to be vigilant and report all illegal activities to the police.”
The victim’s mother declined to be interviewed.
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