The Reiger Park investigation has taken a new turn after a third accused appeared in court and an alternative account raised questions about who carried out the shooting that left two Anti-Gang Unit officers and two women dead.
Three suspects are now before the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court in connection with the August 7 killings, while investigators continue examining the evidence surrounding the attack.
The latest accused, 27-year-old Elvino Levert Crafford, appeared in court on Friday morning after his arrest by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team based in Germiston.
Crafford’s case was postponed to August 25 for a formal bail application, when he is expected to appear alongside his co-accused, Reagan Cheslin Collis, 23, and Jamal Meyer, 24.
The Hawks say Crafford faces the same charges as the other accused under the doctrine of common purpose. This means the State alleges that the three men participated in the crimes, even though the prosecution would still need to prove each accused’s role and the required legal elements in court.
The charges and the competing accounts have not been tested at trial.
Third Accused Appears In Court
Crafford was arrested on Wednesday in Ekurhuleni during an operation led by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team in Germiston.
He appeared in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where his lawyer, attorney Samkele Kuzani, raised concerns about visible bruises on his face.
Kuzani told the court that Crafford alleged he had been brutally assaulted by police during his arrest.
The defence asked that the charge sheet be endorsed to allow Crafford to receive medical attention.
The allegation is serious, but it remains an allegation made through the accused’s legal representation. It has not been established by a court.
The State will be expected to respond through the appropriate legal and investigative processes.
Crafford’s appearance did not involve a decision on his guilt or innocence. The case was postponed to August 25 for a formal bail application.
At that hearing, the court is expected to consider submissions from the State and the defence before deciding whether the accused should be released under conditions or remain in custody.
A bail hearing is not a trial. It does not determine whether the accused committed the offences.
Charges Under Common Purpose
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said Crafford faced the same charges as his co-accused under the doctrine of common purpose, because police allege that all three participated in the crimes.
Police have identified Collis as the alleged gunman and say he was responsible for the shooting.
The supplied charge information lists four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, and charges linked to the possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
The charges must be read as allegations until tested in court.
The doctrine of common purpose can be used by prosecutors where they allege that people acted together in the commission of a crime. However, the State must still present evidence showing the nature of the alleged agreement or common purpose and the conduct of each accused.
The final outcome will depend on the evidence presented and the court’s findings.
Police Identify Collis As Alleged Gunman
Collis was the first of the three accused to be arrested.
Police have maintained that he was the person who fired the shots during the attack.
Collis has denied the allegation through his legal representation.
A source familiar with the incident has disputed the police version after claiming to have seen CCTV footage linked to the shooting.
The source said the footage raised questions about whether Collis was the person who fired the shots.
According to the source, Collis was inside his grandmother’s house when the shooting took place.
The source claimed the footage showed another man wearing a dark hoodie and red tracksuit trousers shooting the two women before fleeing in a silver-grey Volkswagen Polo.
The source further claimed that Collis was seen afterwards confronting the alleged shooter and saying: “I saw you.”
These claims have not been tested in court.
Police have not publicly confirmed the alternative account, and the existence of footage does not by itself determine who was responsible for the killings.
The evidential value of any CCTV footage will depend on matters such as its quality, timing, camera position, whether the people shown can be identified and whether the footage has been properly authenticated.
Investigators and the court would also need to consider whether the footage covers the entire relevant period or only part of the events.
Alleged Rivalry And Threats
The source also alleged that Collis and his associates had a longstanding rivalry with a group known as the “Sour Boys”.
The source claimed that Collis and his associates had received threats from the group hours before the shooting and that the attack may have been intended for them.
Those claims have not been confirmed by police and have not been tested in court.
They should not be treated as an established motive.
The alleged threats may form part of the information investigators are examining, but detectives would still need to establish who made them, whether they were genuine, whether they were connected to the shooting and whether they had any bearing on the deaths of the four victims.
At this stage, the motive remains uncertain.
The presence of an alleged rivalry does not prove that the group was involved, and it does not prove that the shooting was intended for Collis or his associates.
Four People Killed In Reiger Park
The shooting claimed the lives of Anti-Gang Unit officers Constables Thapelo Tlomatsana, 29, and Sphiwe Sibeko, 28.
Civilians Roleen Lessing and Jaydin Margerman were also killed.
Police said the officers were carrying out crime-prevention patrols in Reiger Park when they heard gunshots.
They drove towards the source of the gunfire and were allegedly ambushed.
The circumstances surrounding the attack remain under investigation.
The deaths of the two officers have placed further focus on the risks faced by police members working in areas affected by violent crime.
The deaths of Lessing and Margerman have also raised questions about what led to the shooting and whether the civilians were deliberately targeted or were caught up in the attack.
Police have not announced a final finding on the motive.
The investigation must now consider the sequence of events, the identity of the person or people who fired the shots, the movements of the accused and the possible connection between the robbery allegations and the four deaths.
Two R5 Rifles Recovered
Two R5 rifles were recovered during the tracing operation that led to Collis’s arrest at the KwaDukathole informal settlement in Germiston.
The recovery is part of the evidence being examined by investigators.
Police have not publicly established which weapon, if any, was used in the Reiger Park shooting.
The rifles may undergo forensic and ballistic examination to determine whether they are linked to the crime scene, the victims or other cases.
Ballistic testing may compare cartridge cases or bullets with the markings produced by a particular firearm.
The results would need to be assessed together with witness statements, CCTV footage and other forensic evidence.
The mere recovery of a weapon does not prove that it was used in the murders or that a particular accused handled it.
The prosecution will ultimately need to connect the evidence to the charges against each accused.
Second Accused Meyer Appears In Court
Meyer was arrested on August 16 after an intensive tracing operation by a multidisciplinary team.
He later appeared in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court through his lawyer.
Meyer alleged that he had been brutally assaulted by police and said he was experiencing sharp chest pain.
Attorney Kuzani asked that the charge sheet be endorsed so Meyer could receive medical attention.
The State did not oppose the request.
State prosecutor Leswikane Mashabela said he was concerned by the allegation but did not object to Meyer receiving medical attention.
Meyer remains in custody.
The allegation of assault, like the complaint raised by Crafford, has not been proven in court.
Any investigation into the claims would be separate from the murder and robbery charges, although the circumstances of the arrests may become relevant to the broader proceedings.
Dispute Over Collis’s Detention
Collis remains in custody at Modderbee prison.
During earlier proceedings, the defence asked the court to order his transfer to a correctional facility in Boksburg.
Kuzani argued that Collis should be held closer to the court and that the proper legal procedure had not been followed when he was placed at Modderbee.
The State opposed the request, relying on an existing court order that allowed Collis to remain at Modderbee until a specified date.
Mashabela said that once the order lapsed, the State would bring a substantive application regarding Collis’s detention.
The detention dispute is separate from the question of whether Collis is guilty of the charges.
It concerns where he is held while the case proceeds and whether the relevant legal requirements were followed.
The court’s decisions on custody and bail should not be presented as findings on the evidence of the murders.
Defence To Scrutinise Police Case
The defence is expected to challenge the police version as the three accused seek bail and the investigation continues.
That scrutiny may include questions about the arrests, the alleged assault complaints, the recovered rifles, the CCTV footage and the identification of Collis as the alleged shooter.
The defence may also challenge whether the evidence supports the use of common purpose against all three accused.
The State, in turn, will be expected to explain the evidence linking each accused to the charges and why it believes they should remain in custody.
The competing accounts mean that the case has already developed into more than a straightforward arrest update.
Police have one version of who fired the shots, while a source claiming to have viewed CCTV footage has raised a different possibility.
Neither version has been finally accepted by a court.
The legal process will determine how the evidence is tested.
What Happens On August 25?
All three accused are expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on August 25 for formal bail applications.
The State may oppose bail and present reasons for keeping the accused in custody.
The defence may argue that the accused can be released under conditions, that they are not flight risks, that they will not interfere with witnesses and that they can attend future court proceedings.
The court will consider the relevant facts and legal submissions before making a decision.
The bail hearing will not decide whether the three men killed the four victims.
It will determine their status while the case moves forward.
The charges will continue to be allegations unless and until the court reaches a final verdict.
The accused remain entitled to legal representation, a fair trial and the presumption of innocence.
Investigation Still Open
The case remains active, with investigators still working to establish what happened in Reiger Park on August 7.
The evidence may include the two recovered R5 rifles, CCTV footage, forensic material, witness statements, cellphone records and information about the vehicles and people present during the shooting.
Detectives may also investigate the alleged threats and rivalry mentioned by the source, although police have not confirmed that account.
The allegations of police assault raised by Crafford and Meyer may also require attention through the appropriate channels.
The next court appearance is expected to bring greater clarity on the formal charges, the State’s case against each accused and the defence’s response.
Until then, the identities of the alleged shooter and the motive for the attack remain contested.
What is confirmed is that four people died, three men have been arrested and charged in connection with the case, two R5 rifles were recovered and all three accused are expected back in court on August 25.
The final truth will depend on evidence tested through the legal process.
