Durban - An Umgeni Park restaurateur least imagined that men at the doorway of his business, wearing sandals, would be robbers about to hold up and shoot his patrons.
But when Andrea Indrio heard a gun cock, and happened to be at the door of the Andrea Italian Cafè, he realised what they were up to and ran out to seek help at another restaurant in the Park Boulevard Centre in Brown’s Drift Road.
“One of them came after me. He was behind me with a knife. Then I tripped,” he told the Independent on Saturday.
By the time three shots rang out moments later, Indrio had taken shelter between the chairs of a nearby Chinese restaurant.
“I thought it was one of my sons (shooting at the robbers),” he said.
“But it was my two client friends who were shot in the back,” he said, describing the robbers as “cowards”.
One victim was the father of a six-year-old girl who had also been present and was immediately helped by her grandmother, he said.
Someone in the Chinese restaurant, meanwhile, pressed a panic button.
Indrio said the incident at his cafè had been caught on video, which had been handed over to police.
All three wounded patrons are in serious condition, two in intensive care.
Netcare, which owns the hospitals in question, said it was not able to disclose any details of their condition “as we adhere to patient confidentiality and privacy of personal information, in accordance with relevant legislation”.
Three other patrons who were not shot had moderate to minor injuries and were treated in hospital, said Emer-G-Med spokesman Kyle van Reneen.
Indrio said it was the first such incident at the restaurant in the seven years he had owned the business.
A Facebook user in a closed group described the restaurant robbery as “a terrifying, brutal instance of drama we all read about so often”.
He said that at around 7pm the very aggressive young men strode into the packed restaurant.
“Shots were fired. Two people were shot and badly injured. We all hit the floor and guns were put to our heads. Besides the shooting of customers, so many people were ‘relieved’ of their wallets, jewellery and other valuables.”
He went on to describe the bloody aftermath as “silent, shocked mayhem. Aside from the cries of those shot by these evil bastards”. He commended private security companies who arrived within minutes.
Police spokesperson Colonel Nqobile Gwala said Greenwood Park police were investigating a case of business robbery and attempted murder.
“It is alleged that the victims were performing their duties when they were accosted by (four) unknown men who robbed them of an undisclosed amount of money and cellphones.
“While fleeing, the suspects are reported to have opened fire and wounded three customers who were taken to hospital.”
The incident follows a hold-up at a coffee shop in nearby Florida Road in the Morningside area two weeks ago during which a woman was accosted while seated and talking on her cellphone.
Video footage showed the robbers hold her up.
A shot was fired during the fracas and the robbers escaped. No injuries were reported.
The Independent on Saturday