Teenage victim in police shooting still gripped by trauma

The incident where police allegedly opened fire on a Pretoria family's car has left a teenager severely traumatised‚ with harrowing nightmares haunting the youngster in her sleep.

“She is not okay at all. She screams in her sleep‚ waking up soaked in sweat from nightmares. Kutlwano my child has changed‚” her mother‚ Maria‚ said.

She said Kutlwano was discharged from Dr George Mukhari hospital last week and she was yet to receive counseling.

• Family narrowly survive police shooting spreeA Pretoria family stared death in the face on Friday night when police allegedly opened fire on them, injuring two people and riddling their car with bullets. 

Kutlwano's nightmares started when she was driving with her grandfather‚ Joseph Ngobeni‚ and her father‚ Sidwell‚ 34‚ on a Friday evening around 7pm.

As they were driving along Buitekant road in Soshanguve‚ a bakkie tried to push them off the road.

The bakkie apparently had no clear police markings.

Frightened‚ Sidwell‚ managed to get away.

The bakkie‚ now with blue lights flashing‚ gave chase‚ with people inside allegedly opening fire on the family SUV and still shooting at it when it reached the family’s driveway‚

According to Ngobeni‚ who had leapt from his front passenger seat to the back to shield Kutlwano from the hail of bullets‚ it was only when his eldest daughter‚ Khensani‚ came out of the house screaming for police to stop that they stopped firing.

Kutlwano was hit in the left shoulder and her grandfather was grazed by four bullets on his right arm.

Her mother said they were devastated‚ adding that her daughter hardly spoke anymore and was always scared.

When TimesLIVE visited Ngobeni last week‚ four bullet holes were visible on the passenger side of the car's front windshield. Another six bullet holes were visible on the back of the vehicle. Ngobeni estimated that 20 bullets were fired at the vehicle.

Police are investigating a case of attempted murder against two police officers involved in the incident.

TMG Digital/TimesLIVE