An Athlone family suffered a heartbreaking loss after a father was shot inside his home, in front of his two children, on Sunday afternoon.
Residents got a skrik when a man entered a Petunia Street home at about 1.30pm and killed Lincoln Tilling, 41.
The attack was apparently retaliation for another shooting the night before.
A 44-year-old male relative told the Daily Voice: “Lincoln was inside the house, chilling with his children, when this bra came in and shot him a paar times right in front of the children before he ran out.
“His mother and family started shouting because they were all inside the house and soon there people standing outside.
“Everybody was worried and the neighbours took the children, Lincoln was bleeding a lot.
“The police came here like 10 minutes later and they were waiting for the ambulance.”
The Daily Voice was on the scene when the ambulance arrived at the property at 2pm.
However, the medical personnel said Lincoln had passed away from his injuries, causing the family to break down in tears.
The relative admits Lincoln used to be a skollie but says he changed his life: “Everybody knows him here in the area and we are hearing that the shooting is connected to another shooting that happened on Saturday night.
“Lincoln was not involved with any of the gangsters anymore, he used to be but then he stopped.”
However, a female neighbour told the Daily Voice that Lincoln was a “known drug dealer” and that an argument took place at his home on Saturday night.
“He sold drugs from this house and the people here all know he does, and this whole thing started (Saturday) night already because I heard people arguing at the house.
“I don’t know if they now came back to shoot him.
“The family sieka know the shooter because he walked right into the house before he shot Lincoln.”
The woman says there are fears that the shootings are related to a new gang moving into the area.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed the incident: “The incident is gang-related.
“The suspect is at large as the investigation continues.”