Four killed execution-style in Salt Lake massacre
Is vigilante group waging war on gangsterism in northern areas?
A mass execution-style shooting left four men dead and five in hospital as gunmen, suspected of being part of a vigilante group, hit a reputed drug post in Nelson Mandela Bay on Wednesday night.
The calculated midnight shooting in Salt Lake that claimed the life of an alleged drug kingpin has put the community on edge, and prompted the police to activate a 72-hour mobilisation plan to track down the masked shooters.
Witnesses have described how four armed men climbed out of two vehicles and held the occupants of the house at gunpoint, separating the men from the women.
Forced to kneel down, the nine men were then each shot execution-style.
According to a source close to the investigation, the police are investigating the possibility that a well-known vigilante group was involved in the calculated mass shooting, and that homeowner Ashwell Andrews was their intended target.
Andrews, 47, was among the four men killed.
While some residents of Barends Street, where the horror shooting took place, are relieved, saying their neighbourhood’s biggest “troublemakers” are now no longer a threat to the community, the families of the dead were left grieving and praying at the crime scene yesterday.
“There was a knock on the door just after 11pm and there were men asking to come in, they wanted to buy something,” Andrews’ wife, Verenice September, said.
“After we let them in, we saw there were four of them wearing masks and they had guns.”
A tearful September said the four armed men quickly ordered the women in the house to move into one room, while all the men were taken to a room at the back of the premises.
“They told us they weren’t going to hurt anyone.
“They took the men to the back of the house and told them to kneel down.
“I could hear them telling the men they should stop stealing and causing trouble.
“The next moment I heard the gunshots,” she said.
The gunmen ran out the same way they entered and fled in two vehicles.
Eastern Cape provincial police commissioner LieutenantGeneral Nomthetheleli Mene ordered the 72-hour activation plan to track down and arrest the killers.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said initial investigations indicated that the gunmen arrived at the house in two vehicles.
Kinana confirmed that the gunmen entered the premises and separated the men from the women before shooting the nine.
“The ages of the four deceased are unknown at this stage, while the five men who were rushed to hospital are between the ages of 29 and 31.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation, and four cases of murder and five of attempted murder have been opened.”
Another of the men killed has been identified as Jerome
Mains. All the dead were shot in the head, while the surviving victims suffered wounds to their heads, faces and upper bodies.
According to first responders to the scene, one of the men taken to hospital had a severe head wound and was in a critical condition.
Asked if she knew who the assailants were, September shook her head.
She also denied her husband’s involvement in any criminal activity.
However, according to reliable sources, Andrews was allegedly involved in a gang that moved into the area after infamous gang leader Donovan “Staal” Berry was shot dead in 2016.
None of the residents of nearby homes were willing to comment on Wednesday night’s shooting, with most claiming they did not even hear the gunshots.
However, one mother is living in fear after rumours spread that her son, Evan Metcalfe, 25, who is in St Albans Prison after being arrested in connection with the murder of a gang member, allegedly had a hand in arranging the mass killing.
“We are in danger. My children are in danger.
“We have asked the police to patrol our street and to keep an eye on our house.
“We’ve been shot at before on many occasions and if they believe we were involved, then we are not safe.”
The woman said her eldest son, Romeo, 30, was shot dead by suspected rival gangsters for selling drugs on their turf last year.
“Romeo was in prison for a robbery he did not commit, but while he was in prison he became involved in drugs,” she said.
“After his release in 2018, he started selling drugs in our area.
“He was competing with the other gangs and our house was often shot at.
“Andrews [allegedly] threatened us on multiple occasions.
“He [allegedly] told me he was going to kill my son.”
On January 3 last year, Romeo was shot in their lounge.
She said with Romeo dead she had hoped the attacks on their home would stop, but they persisted, and her house was now riddled with patchedup bullet holes.
Earlier this year, she heard a knock on her bedroom window one night, and on opening the curtains stared down the barrel of a gun.
However, the culprit left without firing a shot.
Two weeks ago, Evan was arrested in connection with the murder of the man who pointed the gun at her, who was suspected of being part of Andrews’
alleged drug operation.
“I’m not saying I’m glad Andrews is dead, but I want peace in my street and outside my house. I don’t want to live in fear any more.
“Hopefully, now some order will be restored to our neighbourhood,” the woman said.
She believed rumours that an organised vigilante group was involved in Wednesday night’s shooting were true, and said the community was sick of thugs putting innocent lives at risk.
“Wednesday night will either bring peace to our street as the troublemakers are now gone, or it will invite more violence if there is retaliation,” she said.