A bullet smashed into his hand as his mother went on a family shooting spree but he still but managed to pick up his twin brother and carry him to safety.
They were the only survivors of a family tragedy that unfolded over the weekend when a 43-year-old widow opened fire on her sons in the Cape Town suburb of Kraaifontein and then turned the gun on herself. Her 21-year-old son was killed.
The boy who rescued his critically injured brother cannot be named because he is 14 years old. Courageously‚ he returned to school on Monday morning.
The 14-year-old boy was shot in the hand while his twin was shot in the head and remains in a critical condition in hospital.
His mother and older brother were buried on Sunday afternoon.
Henry Alexander‚ principal of Bernadino Heights Secondary School said: “He’s very brave and courageous. He wanted to be at school today.”
Alexander said the school has arranged counseling for both boys and a special assembly was held for the twins.
Currently the boy is staying with a neighbour who is a close family friend.
“He’s doesn’t have other family members to stay with but he’s quite happy to stay with this lady. It’s in his environment and the lady is the mother of a close friend of his.”
Alexander described the boy as outgoing and talkative with his twin being more introverted.
“They are both very strong and emotionally mature.”
The older brother‚ an alumni of Bernadino Heights‚ was a student at the University of the Western Cape and according to Alexander was “a conscientious and respectable young man”.
His girlfriend posted on Facebook expressing her grief. “I don't know how I am going to continue without you but I find strength in all the prayers and thoughts of those who care for us. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and you were a true blessing in my life‚” she wrote.
According to friends‚ the mother lost her husband to cancer about two years ago.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the shooting.
TMG Digital/The Times
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