Police at the crime scene in Neptune Lane, Ocean View, where six men were shot dead in a suspected gang-related attack. Image: Facebook/Councillor Patricia Franke.
Outrage as suspects in Ocean View mass shooting go free after NPA mishandles case
Two suspects arrested in connection with the Ocean View mass shooting that left six people dead were released after the case was struck off the roll.
Police at the crime scene in Neptune Lane, Ocean View, where six men were shot dead in a suspected gang-related attack. Image: Facebook/Councillor Patricia Franke.
Two suspects arrested in connection with the Ocean View mass shooting that left six people dead were let off the hook in the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 19 April.
The accused’s legal representatives argue that the suspects were not brought before the court within the required 48 hours
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in the Western Cape said the Magistrate struck the case off the roll after one of the accused’s legal representatives protested that the men were not brought before the court within 48 hours of their arrest as is required by law.
As previously reported, six men – aged between 20 and 50 – were shot dead by unknown gunmen in Neptune Lane, Ocean View, on Wednesday, 12 April. Brigadier Novela Potelwa said the motive for the shooting is suspected to be gang-related.
READ MORE:
- Ocean View shooting: Load shedding blamed for disabled CCTV cameras, hampering police investigation
- Ocean View: Six men killed in gang-related Cape Town mass shooting
A 20-year-old man was arrested last week, and a 29-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday.
DA slams NPA for mishandling the case, calls it a gross miscarriage of justice
On Thursday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape slammed the NPA for mishandling the case and called it a gross miscarriage of justice.
“It is absolutely infuriating that suspects in a mass killing may not face justice because of the NPA’s mistakes. There is no possible scenario in which we are able to solve the issue of crime when offenders do not face consequences for their actions,” said Gillion Bosman, the DA WC spokesperson for Community Safety.
Bosman said she would invite the NPA to appear before the provincial Standing Committee on Community Safety to account for the matter and the prosecution of offenders in general.
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