Philippi-East attack: ‘Cameron saved my lifewhen he shot our attacker’

National Assembly chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, and his colleagues, said him being a licensed firearm owner saved their lives during the brazen smash and grab attack in Philippi-East by three young men.

Police on Tuesday confirmed that while two suspects were apprehended, a third remained at large.

Police spokesperson, Malcolm Pojie, said: “The status of this investigation is still the same. More arrests have not been made yet as the third suspect is still at large. Efforts to trace this suspect are under way.”

Cameron and his colleagues, Nicholas Gotsell and Lisa-Maré Shickerling, were returning from an oversight visit at the Philippi Police Training college when they came under attack on August 19 along New Eisleben and Goven Mbeki Roads.

Cameron sustained injuries to his mouth and required dental surgery, while Shickerling had a head wound and Gotsell suffered a fractured skull.

Police apprehended an 18-year-old suspect who sought medical treatment at a hospital in Lentegeur after he was shot and a 16-year-old was arrested shortly thereafter.

Cameron, who is also the founder of Firearms.co.za, which was established to provide support for legal firearm owners, told the Cape Argus he was even more in support of citizens owning legal firearms to protect themselves.

Cameron's licensed firearm was handed over to the police for the necessary ballistic testing.

“I am a firm believer that every person should have the opportunity or the choice whether they would like to be lawfully armed or not and I am a firm believer that it equals the playing field more often when you are under a life threatening attack, even more so for women,” he said.

“You can have an attacker, double your size, and likely much stronger than you, and a well-trained firearm person can immediately neutralise what that threat might be.

“It obviously comes with a big responsibility, but I am a firm believer that if approached correctly, it saves far more lives."

Gotsell said he believed if a licensed firearm individual such as Cameron had not reacted, he would have been dead.

“Given my injuries, I have no doubt that if the savage who attacked us on my side had been allowed to render one more blow, I would have been dead.

“South Africans must not be deterred from using firearms responsibly and in self-defence when their lives are at risk.”

Provincial police commissioner, Thembisile Patekile, said via the social media podcast, Cape Conscious Media, that the 18-year-old suspect was allegedly linked to other robberies in the same area.

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Cape Argus