Gatvol Ottery residents have started barricading their streets to prevent skollies from carrying out drive-by shootings following the murder of Monique Cottle over the weekend.
The 26-year-old mother died when she was struck in the head by a stray bullet during a shooting on Friday night, just seven months after her four-year-old daughter, Scarlett was also killed in gang gunfire.
Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, says three people were hit in the shooting which left two dead and one injured.
“Grassy Park police are investigating a double murder and an attempted murder case after a shooting incident at about 8.25pm in Radnor Court, Hector Road, Ottery, where two persons were shot and fatally wounded, and a male aged 19 injured.
“The wounded victim was shot in the right arm and both legs and was taken to a nearby medical facility for medical treatment.
“Circumstances surrounding this fatal shooting incident are under investigation.”
At the time of her daughter’s murder, Monique had begged those responsible to hand over themselves to the police.
Speaking to the Weekend Argus, her wife, Lindsay Cottle, 32, said after their daughter’s death, Monique feared for her own safety.
“She was scared to walk outside and look now, this happened to her.
“Who is going to have my back or tell me everything is going to be OK on the days when I long to hold our daughter? They took everything away from me,” the hartseer widow cried.
Lindsay said Monique had been chatting with her friends just a few metres away from their home when shots rang out.
“I ran (to her) and she was lying there; I had to close her eyes the same way I had to close our daughter’s eyes months ago.”
A resident who asked to remain anonymous said a car pulled into Hector Avenue and fired about 10 shots before driving off.
Community Police Forum (CPF) chairperson, Melvin Jonkers, says angry residents gathered over the weekend and barricaded the streets.
“They were angry and wanted to prevent the gang from carrying out drive-by shootings in the area.
“Law Enforcement had to be called in,” he says.
“We are calling on the community to remain calm. We understand the anger and convey our condolences to the family as an innocent life has been lost.
“We call on residents to come forward with information to help put an end to the killings.”