A Manenberg family is appealing for help to find the cowardly gunman who shot their disabled son and his friend in their backs and left them to die in the street.
The family of Joshua Vernon Fortuin, 23, say they fear for their lives as the young man had repeatedly been threatened by a local gang after he opened a criminal case against one of their members.
They say skollies had even offered him a bribe of R20 000 to withdraw the charge, but he refused.
Acting Manenberg station commander Colonel Sanele Zama says the attack occurred at 6pm on Friday and Joshua and another 27-year-old man were shot in Kasouga Street.
SCENE: Two men were gunned down in Kasouga Street, Manenberg on Friday night. Pictures Leon Knipe/ana and supplied
“It is alleged that the two males were walking down Kasouga Street, Manenberg, when an unknown suspect wearing a mask came from behind,” says Zama.
“As the two males walked, several shots were fired from behind them, hitting both in their backs.
“They died instantly as they collapsed. Both males had gunshot wounds to their upper backs. The suspect fled the scene in an unknown direction.”
Zama says police have opened a double murder investigation and no arrests have been made so far.
Joshua’s family say they have concerns.
“We don’t know what happened to the case after he was arrested because Joshua never got any feedback from police,” says a relative who asked not to be named.
“We are upset because Joshua was not a gangster and why he was killed this way doesn’t make sense.
“We know that he was offered money to withdraw the case.”
VICTIM: Joshua Vernon Fortuin
According to his family, Joshua was initially offered R10 000 to withdraw the case, but when he refused, he was allegedly offered R20 000.
“From what we know, he never took the money, but there were also calls from prison saying he must think of his family in Manenberg.”
Daily Voice visited the home of his friend, but his parents were unavailable yesterday as they had to to identify his body.
Joshua’s family says as he was born with a deformity to his left hand, he was unable to work and received a disability grant.
Anyone with information is asked to call Manenberg Police Station on 021 699 9400
or Crime Stop on 08600 10111
.