Tuesday, September 20th, the Blue Downs Magistrate Court in Cape Town sentenced a teenager to 68 years in prison. Last year, the 17-year-old shot and murdered two individuals and injured others; the second murder took place while he was out on bail.
Ndakhe Gwala, a spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS), said that Keanu May, who was 16 at the time, went to Petrus Street in Kraaifontein in February 2021 and found his victim.
May fired onto the victim, who was standing in his yard with his friends, and killed him. The teenager was subsequently arrested and freed on bail.
“In July 2021, whilst on bail, the accused spotted a rival gang member in the street and immediately pulled out a firearm and fired several shots, fatally wounding him,” said Gwala.
May shooting spree was by no means done. According to reports, he turned around and shot a nine-year-old child in the neck and an adult woman in the knee before missing another target. After this event, he was detained, and the Anti-Gang Unit took over both of his cases.
“Detective Warrant Officer Otto Landsberg of the Provincial Organised Crime Anti-Gang Unit built a strong case against the accused and he was convicted on all the nine charges,” said the police spokesperson.
The teen’s 68-year sentence was divided as follows: 30 years for two charges of murder, 30 years for three counts of attempted murder, and 8 years for firearm and ammunition possession.