Blunden boss held after PE shooting

Bus firm owner to appear in court after family flare-up

ACHAOTIC scene played out at a Walmer Heights home at the weekend where Bay businessman Shaun Blunden was arrested after allegedly shooting his sister’s ex-husband when a domestic dispute turned violent.

Blunden, 52, owner of Blunden Coach Tours, is expected to appear in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court today after spending most of the weekend in a holding cell at the Walmer police station.

His sister, Cheryl Williams, 48, painted a chaotic and emotional picture of events that played out at about 4pm on Saturday.

She was at their mother’s house with her daughter and sister when Blunden phoned and said he was coming over.

“When Shaun arrived he and my daughter [aged 26] got into an argument. It escalated to the point where we were all quite upset and my daughter pressed the panic button for Atlas Security to come to the house.

“She then also phoned her father, my ex-husband Deon, to come to the house,” Williams said.

She did not want to say what the argument was about.

Atlas officers arrived at the house and were trying to defuse the situation when Deon Williams, 51, also arrived.

“Deon came into the house, wanting to know what was going on. Shaun told him to ‘f*** out of my house’.

“And that is when shots went off,” Williams said. Deon was hit in the lower abdomen. “Deon tried to get away while my daughter and the Atlas officers tried to intervene. A second shot went off, and some of the neighbours said they heard a third shot too.

“I cannot remember clearly, but luckily no one else was injured.”

At that stage, Atlas officers closed the road outside the house. Ambulances were blocked and unable to reach the house until the situation was under control.

Atlas confiscated a firearm and Deon was taken away in a serious condition after losing a lot of blood.

Last night there were still blood stains on the wall next to the kitchen where the shooting took place.

Warrant Officer Alwin Labans confirmed the incident.

He said a man was arrested while another was taken to Greenacres Hospital in a serious condition.

A case of attempted murder is under investigation.

According to Williams, her ex-husband was admitted to the intensive care unit and had undergone surgery.

Last night, he was in a serious but stable condition.

“My brother and ex-husband have not been getting along for years. This is very difficult for our whole family. On the one hand we have my brother and on the other hand we have my daughter and her father.

“We do not really know what to do now other than to hope that everyone will be OK,” Williams said.

Blunden Coach Tours is a major Eastern Cape success story. According to its website, the company has been serving the province for 42 years and has a fleet of luxury coaches, minibuses, standard buses, runabouts and executive chauffeurs.

The company is NMMU’s chosen transport partner for student intercampus travel in the city.