DANA BAY NEWS - A Dana Bay local, who opened an attempted murder case in October after he was allegedly shot at while confronting two young men who had allegedly killed a pheasant in the area, has claimed the investigation is taking too long.
The 65-year-old resident, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, said the incident took place in late September and that a case of attempted murder was registered at the KwaNonqaba Police Station in early October.
He said that since the case had been opened, he had not had any feedback from the investigating officer, adding that he was frustrated that no arrests had yet been made.
He said he wants the two young men held accountable for allegedly shooting a pellet from their air rifle at him, and he wants to ensure they will not shoot at anyone, or any animals, ever again.
Speaking to Mossel Bay Advertiser about the incident, he said it had taken place at about 17:30 on 26 September.
'Heard a gunshot'
He said he was approaching his home after taking his dogs for a walk, when he saw a white Ford Ranger bakkie, parked in the veld off Lutea Street.
"Just after I spotted the bakkie, I heard a gunshot. It didn't sound like it was from a high calibre firearm," he said.
The man said that after hearing the gunshot, he looked back out toward the bakkie and saw a young man standing near the passenger side of the vehicle.
"I shouted to him that we live in a conservancy and he is not allowed to shoot here." He said the young man began yelling and swearing at him.
"That is when I heard something zing just past my head. I then saw another young man appear and they both climbed into the bakkie and shouted to me that they were going to come to me. They reversed the bakkie out of the veld, allegedly still yelling profanities, but then they just left.
"Of course, I got a huge fright when I heard the pellet shoot past me, but after they left I walked into the veld to see what they were originally shooting at, and found a dead pheasant. It was still warm."
The man said he then put a message on a local Dana Bay WhatsApp group about what had just happened and Dana Bay Conservancy chairperson Erika van der Westhuizen and the Wildlife Crime Information Network's Leon Rossouw came to the scene.
Concerned
Rossouw said he took the pheasant home and retrieved the pellet. He said it was bigger than the usual pellet used in air guns and if it had hit the complainant in the eye, he could have died.
He said he handed the pellet and photo evidence to the police.
The pellet found in the pheasant. Photo: Leon Rossouw
Van der Westhuizen and Rossouw said they are concerned that the case is not being taken seriously.
They said that if a person was not held accountable in this matter, incidents like this would continue to take place.
Van Der Westhuizen said although a pellet gun doesn't require a firearm licence, to shoot any kind of weapon in a suburban area is against the law. Even more so, in a conservation area where respect for wildlife is advocated.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Chris Spies said the matter is the subject of an ongoing police probe.
"KwaNonqaba detectives are investigating a case of attempted murder. No arrests have been made yet."
He notes that any person who is dissatisfied with service from the police is welcome to visit the office of the commander at a police station for the matter to be dealt with amicably.
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