Pinetown, South Africa – Gideon van Zyl (53) was shot and killed during a hijacking on Sunday, 3 August 2014 on Victory Drive, Pinetown.
According to Derrick Banks, of ER24, Van Zyl died after he was shot in the back at approximately 5.30pm.
“Van Zyl was treated for a single gunshot wound, and despite advance life support efforts Van Zyl was declared dead on scene,” said Banks.
The Hillcrest resident’s nightmare unfolded on Sunday evening at approximately 5pm, following a relaxing day at the New Germany Nature Reserve. They had spent the day at the reserve in the company of a small child Graham had been the caretaker of for several months. They had stopped at the property on Victory Drive to drop the child off at his home, where his mother was waiting.
The couple was later ambushed when they returned to the vehicle, which was parked in the driveway. “I had just sat down in the passenger side, when one the men approached me. I thought he was drunk and was trying to grab my handbag. I still remember trying to talk back. He just kept shouting, “Shut up! Shut up!” said Julie Graham.
She only realised what was happening when she saw a second man pointing a gun at Van Zyl, who was standing on the driver’s side of the vehicle. “He backed away from the car and slowly started turning around, when the gunman shot him in the back. He did not resist, he did not provoke them and he did not fight back and that man still shot him,” said Graham.
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