Shattered, hurting and confused, the family of armed response officer Marlin Muller, 38, are demanding answers after police allegedly shot him dead.
The dad of three had gone out to tell his two daughters, who were having a jol near their Hanover Park home, that it was late and they needed to go inside.
The teens were at the playground at Cascade Court at about midnight on Saturday, a few metres from their home in the same court.
At that moment, cops arrived at the scene. Officers ordered residents to lie on the ground and it’s not clear what led to shots being fired.
Witness Katelynn Fourie says: “Police arrived and asked that we get down. Before we could do that, they fired a shot.
“We wondered if the bullet was fired in the air, but we saw him [Marlin] falling and we started crying.”
His wife Sharon says she does not know what made the police open fire in the presence of innocent people.
“Marlin was unarmed and just went to collect the kids. They killed him senselessly.
“He had just stepped out when I heard the shot,” she says.
Sharon says after the police shot her husband, they did not call for an ambulance.
“They just stood there and started pepper-spraying other people who were there.
“A bakkie had to take him to the hospital. His intestines were falling out after the shooting.
“He was our breadwinner, I have three children and two grandchildren. They have taken him away from us,” cried Sharon.
Marlin’s daughter Tameeka says she picked up the bullet casing and police fought her for it.
“They saw me picking up the bullet shell and they twisted my arm until I let go,” she says.
“They pepper-sprayed me so that I can let go, my arm was hurt in the process.
“They lied and said they fired a rubber bullet, but we know it was live ammunition that they used.”
Marlin was described as a good man. Scores of people came to their home yesterday to offer condolences.
Police referred the Daily Voice to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid). Ipid did not respond to queries.