Phoenix man who shot wife, 3-year-old daughter before turning gun on himself laid to rest

A man who shot dead his wife and three-year-old daughter before turning the gun on himself in Phoenix, north of Durban, on Saturday was laid to rest on Tuesday.

A prayer gathering attended by religious leaders, the local community policing forum, a private security company and community members, was held on Monday afternoon for the victims.

SAPS spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said Phoenix police had opened two counts of murder and an inquest docket.

Netshiunda said the man allegedly shot the mother of his child in Potclay Drive. Police found the dead woman lying in a pool of blood.

“It is reported that the suspect arrived at the scene in a vehicle with his three-year-old child and allegedly called for the mother of the child. As the victim approached the vehicle, she was met with a hail of bullets. The suspect is said to have got out of his vehicle and continued shooting at her,” said Netshiunda.

The man then fled with his child to his house in Clayfield Drive, where he killed his child and later took his own life.

Netshiunda said a firearm suspected to have been the murder weapon was found next to his body.

Local ward councillor Michelle Lutchman said the incident traumatised and sent shock waves through the community. She said the motive for the killings is unknown.

“We haven't tried to understand why it happened, but all we know is it’s the saddest thing. We have people who saw the incident and they can't even speak about what they saw due to the trauma. It's just a sad thing to happen, really,” she said.

Lutchman added that the man was laid to rest on Tuesday morning, while the bodies of his wife and daughter would be transported to Johannesburg for burial by the woman's family.

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