Witness describes shootings
There were two separate shooting incidents on the night threeyear-old Luke Tibbetts was shot in Westbury, Johannesburg, the High Court in Johannesburg, sitting in Palm Ridge, heard yesterday.
Murder-accused Lindray Khakhu’s friend, Dalmain Abrahams, told the court he had spent the day with Khakhu on August 2 and had been a witness on three occasions Khakhu and Keenan Mokwena had exchanged unpleasant words to one another.
The toddler died after being hit by a stray bullet, allegedly fi red by Khakhu and aimed at Mokwena.
Tibbetts had been sitting on his mother’s lap in a car when he was struck by a bullet.
Mokwena was wounded in the shooting, while Tibbetts died several days later in hospital.
Mokwena told the court on Monday he had pointed his son’s toy gun at Khakhu shortly before being shot at, allegedly by Khakhu.
Abrahams told the court yesterday he saw Mokwena pointing a firearm at him and others who were at a braai.
He then heard two gunshots fired by his friend, Khakhu, towards the car in which Mokwena was travelling.
Abrahams said Khakhu had been in possession of a gun with an extended magazine that night.
Khakhu had kept it on the left side of his belt.
“A white Yaris
pulled
up. From the left-hand side window a firearm was pointed towards us. Someone said ‘watch’. Khakhu moved to the back of the car and fired two shots at their car. I ducked and heard more shots going off,” he told the court.
“I saw [Mokwena] as the person pointing the firearm.”
Abrahams said he did not see any shots fired from the white Yaris.
Less than five minutes later, as Abrahams was fleeing the scene in his vehicle, he drove towards Khakhu’s home to pick up other friends, who had fled the scene on foot.
After picking up three friends and driving back in the direction of the braai where he, Khakhu and others had been standing before the shooting, his car was shot at, the court heard. – Sapa