A Cape Town police officer is due in court on Tuesday after he allegedly shot and killed two men during what is believed to have been a domestic dispute in Blue Downs on Saturday evening.
The officer, who was off duty at the time, allegedly opened fire in Velvet Crescent Street after his partner alerted her family about a dispute and asked them to help. The woman is the sister of one of the men who was killed.
According to information shared with celebgossip.co.za by a family member who asked not to be named, the evening began with a social gathering in Blue Downs, where friends and relatives were spending time together. The source said the group was at a get-together when the officer arrived, apparently to fetch his girlfriend.
What happened next, the family claims, unfolded quickly and violently.
The family member described how the girlfriend later reached out to relatives for help, saying she was worried about the officer’s behaviour. The witness, who says they were present when the family responded, recalled the moment the call came through and how they ended up travelling to Velvet Crescent Street.
The source put it like this: “She later phoned her brother and said he was acting up and that he needed to go and fetch her. I drove with them to the house in Velvet Crescent Street.
“Her brother and his friend got out of the car and knocked on the door. He [the cop] opened the door and immediately started shooting at them. It was like he was waiting for them."
The witness said they dropped down in the back of the vehicle as gunfire rang out, trying to avoid being hit.
The family member, still shaken by the events, said the shooting appeared unprovoked. They insist the men who arrived at the house did not pose a threat and did not trigger the violence that followed.
The same source said: “I hid myself from him because he was literally shooting unprovoked. As he was moving down the street, I jumped out of the car and ran to safety. I think this was also when his girlfriend was able to leave the house and run for safety.
“It was chaotic."
Two men died from their gunshot wounds. They were identified as Leando Fortuin and Wesley Cornelissen.
An unidentified woman was also reportedly shot and wounded during the incident, although her condition and the full circumstances of how she was struck were not immediately clear from information available at the time of publication.
After the fatal shooting, the officer allegedly handed himself over at Kleinvlei Police Station on Sunday. The officer is understood to be attached to Mfuleni SAPS.
Western Cape police did not provide comment on the circumstances surrounding the shooting and referred enquiries to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), the body tasked with investigating cases involving police officers.
IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping confirmed that the incident had been reported and said an investigation was under way.
Shuping stated: “It is alleged that the police officer and his girlfriend had a domestic dispute and the girlfriend informed her family members, who rushed to their house.
“The police officer allegedly shot at the girlfriend’s family members when they arrived at their house, and two family members were fatally wounded.
“The police officer handed himself over at the police station and he is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow (Tuesday).”
While the legal process begins, the family says they are sitting with more questions than answers.
They claim that, as of now, no one from the police had come to them directly to explain what happened or to formally engage with them about the deaths of Fortuin and Cornelissen.
“The way this whole case is being handled just seems off. We lost two loved ones and no one has come to speak to us. We need answers,” the family member said.
Adding to the family’s frustration is what they describe as a sudden focus on searching for firearms, based on claims they say were made by the officer after the shooting.
The family member said police arrived at Cornelissen’s home on Monday morning.
“They are looking for guns because the police officer said they had guns with them when we arrived at his house. They were unarmed and did not provoke him,” the family member said.
At this stage, the officer’s court appearance is expected to bring more clarity on the allegations, and on what the State believes happened in Velvet Crescent Street. IPID’s investigation will also be watched closely, especially given the seriousness of the claims and the fact that an officer is accused of shooting civilians during a domestic dispute.
For the loved ones of Fortuin and Cornelissen, the focus is now on getting clear answers about why two men ended up dead, why another woman was reportedly wounded, and how the matter was handled in the immediate aftermath.
As the investigation continues and the court process gets under way, the community in Blue Downs — and many South Africans who are tired of violence ending family disputes — will be looking for accountability, and for the full truth to emerge.