Retired teacher, 74, shot in bed next to blind wife

 

20090912 Ben Laing, shot, injured in bed next to blind wife by 3 armed robbers http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/f1c1fcfa73f5480693f3a5e8d50e556c/13-09-2009-09-36/%E2%80%98Dit_het_gevoel_soos_bleddie_%C2%ADhorror_movie%E2%80%99_

Retired Afrikaner teacher Ben Laing, 74, was shot and injured in his bed -- right next to his blind wife Rebecca -- by three armed black robbers who had forced the hinges off the front-door of their backyard-cottage in Bronkhorstbaai, Pretoria East on Saturday-night at 2.20am.

Laing – who together with his wife had taught Venda children most of his adult life -- told Virginia Keppler of Beeld newspaper from his hospital bed that he was ‘barely awake’ when he was shot through the stomach ‘by a tallish black man who yelled Where’s the Money and then just fired the shot… ‘

After stealing TV and laptop – went back inside to shoot the old man…

What was particularly strange about this incident was the fact that the three armed black men had already carried out the couple’s TV and a laptop computer before going back into the cottage to go and shoot the old man in his bed.

The couple had moved into the cottage of Mrs Laing’s daughter only two weeks earlier and many of their household items were still packed in boxes.

‘It was like a blerrie horror movie…’

The shot went straight through his stomach, exiting his leftside and then got stuck in the matress underneath.

‘My wife, who can just barely see enough not to run into things, didn’t know what was going on. Then they fired off another shot. I thought they’d shot my wife, but that one went into the ceiling. I felt as if I was in the middle of a blerrie horror movie…’ said the old man.

“So I asked them, ‘why did you shoot me?’ but the gunman didn’t answer me…  it wasn’t even necessary for him to shoot me, because I’d never argue with a guy holding a gun in his hand.’ His wife then was ordered to hand over her jewellery – and they again demanded money. The blind woman then took off her wedding rings and handed them over, said her daughter Mrs Amanda Els.

The couple had just moved into her daughter’s backyard cottage two weeks earlier. “They first tried to break in through three seperate windows but the burglar-bars were too strong. Then they forced open the front door hinges with a screw-driver,’ said Mrs Laing’s daughter, Mrs Amanda Els.

“The robbers had already carried out a tv and a laptop computer before they went back into the house and just shot my father-in-law right there,’ she said.. She was very heartsore she said, adding:

• ‘They aren’t racists: ‘my father-in-law spent his entire life teaching black kids in Venda’s townships… and she speaks nine black languages. They are good people, so why did they shoot him? ’

Police sergeant Marinda Stoltz confirmed the armed attack and said the police were investigating. Nobody was arrested. http://www.beeld.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1928/f1c1fcfa73f5480693f3a5e8d50e556c/13-09-2009-09-36/%E2%80%98Dit_het_gevoel_soos_bleddie_%C2%ADhorror_movie%E2%80%99_

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Empoverished young couple killed execution-style for not having any money…

2009-09-14 Cape Town – Philiippi East squatter camp. A 25-year-old man and his 20-year-old girlfriend were shot dead execution style by three armed black men who broke into their shack and stole only a radio and DVD-player. Police inspector Nondumiso Paul said the couple were shot dead in their shack after the couple couldn’t give the gunmen any money – they didn’t have any, being too poor. Both were shot execution-style, with bullets through the head. Background on Philippi-East squatter camp. 

Witnesses said one suspect black male wore a yellow jacket and a balaclava over his head. Nobody was arrested. The investigating officer is insp. Johannes Philipps at tel. (021) 370 1900 http://www.nuus24.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/1479/d95b8ccf41db40da952d92daa858a8d3/14-09-2009-11-30/Paartjie_vermoor_vir_radio