Crying toddler shot dead in bloody home invasion
● Three killed in Helenvale rampage, including brave grandmother who tried to keep gunmen at bay
A crying three-year-old was mercilessly shot multiple times during a home invasion in Helenvale on Tuesday night.
Little Emilio Hutchinson was killed alongside his grandmother, Ellen “Lientjie” Hutchinson, 52, and a guest, Claudeo Thomas, 44.
Two of Hutchinson’s children were wounded and admitted to hospital.
The motive for the deadly rampage is under investigation.
Yesterday morning, a bloodstained mattress and bullet holes lining the walls of the modest home painted a terrifying picture of what had transpired just hours before.
Woken up by a loud banging sound at about 11.15pm, Hutchinson soon realised there were people trying to kick down her front door.
But as she and her teenage son pressed their bodies against the door, trying to keep the men out, they realised they were no match for them.
What they could not have anticipated, however, was that the attackers would blindly open fire through the door, fatally wounding Hutchinson, before forcing their way inside.
According to a family member, once inside the home, the intruders continued shooting, killing the child and Thomas.
The police have since launched a manhunt for the people responsible for the triple murder and two attempted murders.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the incident was being investigated by the provincial Anti-Gang Investigation Unit.
There have now been 45 known murders in Gqeberha’s northern areas since the start of the year, leaving residents in constant fear for their lives.
Yesterday, there were still blood splatters on the wooden floors and a mattress.
Bullet holes lined the walls of the one-bedroom home.
Residents and family members gathered outside while others helped mop up the blood.
Hutchinson’s 25-year-old daughter, Mary-Ann, struggled to compose herself as she recalled the harrowing events of the previous night.
“We were fast asleep when we were awoken by loud noises.
“People were attempting to force their way through our door,” she said.
“In a panic, my mother and brother jumped out of bed and tried to keep the door closed to keep them out.
“They saved my life, but it came at a huge cost with my mother being killed and my brother now in hospital.”
Mary-Ann said her mother, Emilio and Thomas were shot several times.
They died at the scene. Her brother, Elton, 18, and 13-year-old sister, who is not being named because she is a
‘It was like something out of a movie ... Emilio was crying and then he was shot too. Then the crying stopped’
minor, were rushed to hospital.
“They shot my mother so many times,” Mary-Ann said through sobs.
“It was like something out of a movie ... Emilio was crying and then he was shot too. “Then the crying stopped. “It was only when [the gunmen] left that I realised he was dead.
“While my mom was trying to keep them out, she told the rest of us to stay in the bedroom.
“My mother was a brave woman, very strong, and a single parent to us.”
Mary-Ann said she was yet to come to terms with the full weight of the tragedy.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet, and I can’t believe they’re truly gone.
“My mother was my everything,” she said.
“And Emilio was a loving child.”
Hutchinson had taken Emilio in as her own child after the death of her son — the little boy’s father — some time back.
“And on top of everything I am dealing with my siblings being in hospital,” Mary-Ann said.
She said her mother had been well known in the community.
“Everybody knew Lientjie,” she said.
“She was everyone’s mom and had such a caring heart.”
Neighbour Bianca Pullen, 26, agreed that Hutchinson had been a mother figure in the community.
“It’s so unfair that she had to die fighting for her kids.”
Pullen said despite the daily struggle of cleaning houses for a living and hustling to provide for her family, Hutchinson’s kindness had shone through. “I already miss her so much. “She had this genuine care for people and treated everyone equally.
“Her smile is a memory I’ll cherish forever.”
Pullen said Hutchinson took great care of Emilio.
“This child brought much joy to her,” she said.
Community activist Hendrina Potgieter described the killings as senseless.
“No-one deserves to die like this. I cannot even express myself,” she said.
“How do you shoot and kill a three-year-old?”
She said Thomas had been a soft character who always had a smile on his face.
“It just shows these killers don’t have a heart,” she said.
Naidu confirmed the door had been kicked in by three people.
“The motive is under investigation,” she said.
“Three cases of murder and two of attempted murder are under investigation.”
She urged anyone with information about the incident to contact detective Warrant Officer Neville Gouws on 082387-5904, or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.