‘I told you not to scream’

MUIZZUDEEN Bapoo, 18, was shot and killed in an attempted hijacking outside his home in Crosby, Johannesburg, last week.

The Grade 12 pupil was with his father, Mansoor, leaving their home at 7.30pm on May 10. There was load shedding at the time and their area was in darkness.

They were accosted by two men in an attempted hijacking.

Bapoo was rushed to Garden City Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

He was a pupil at Auckland Park Academy of Excellence (APAX).

Aslam Mia, his uncle, said: “My brother-in-law and nephew were leaving the house to go to mixed martial arts training when the incident took place.

“The lounge is connected to the garage, so the pair were jumping into the car to leave. It was load shedding so everything was dark.

“The two suspects saw the garage door open so they knew the gate would open next. In the split second that my brother-in-law opened the gate, the two men came running in and opened the driver’s door. They put the gun to my brother-in-law’s head and told him not to scream or they will shoot.

“He told them to take whatever they want but please leave them alone, he pleaded, but all they said was don’t scream,” said Mia.

Mia said his nephew was a soft, gentle and timid youngster, so when he saw the man next to his father, he screamed.

“When my nephew screamed, this aggravated the gunman and he told them again not to scream. My nephew kept quiet but he did not realise there were two men, when he saw one next to his door as well, out of shock and panic he screamed again and that was when they shot him.

“The man shot from the driver’s side, he shot him in the back of his neck and uttered the words ‘I told you not to scream’. My nephew passed out.

“My brother-in-law was hysterically saying why did you shoot him, I told you to take everything and again they said we warned you both not to scream.”

The two men fled after shooting Bapoo. They did not steal anything.

“My sister and my other nephew were in the house at the time. They ran out when they heard the commotion. They were trying to understand what was happening in the dark but in under a minute everything happened and the two men were gone.”

Mia said his nephew was kind and fun-loving.

“The last time I saw my nephew was a week before the incident when they came over for dinner, we played pool and were having a good time.

“He was soft-spoken and very humorous, he was well-loved by everyone, so much so, that his funeral was massive. He made such a good impression on people because he would always try to cheer everyone up, he had the ability to always say the right things.

“He played soccer and was very studious. He was still deciding what he wanted to study next year but as a person he was laid back, composed and not confrontational which is why I can’t understand why they shot him,” said Mia.

He said the family were struggling to come to terms with their loss.

“My sister struggled to have kids for 12 years before my nephews were born so her going through this is devastating. She is close to her sons, she takes the best care of them because she knew how long she waited for kids. My brother-in-law and the family are traumatised. He still remembers pleading with them to let them live.”

Bapoo’s funeral took place on May 11 at Newclare Cemetery.

A case has been opened in the Brixton Police Station.

Police did not comment at the time of publication.