shooting – Page 3

Shooting at Air Force base: Member back in court

An SA Air Force member charged with murder is expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

The matter against Corporal Simphiwe Magudulela, 27, was postponed last Tuesday for further investigation and to make arrangements for a psychiatric evaluation.

Magudulela is being represented by a Legal Aid lawyer.

A man was killed and another was critically wounded in a shooting at the Bloemspruit Air Force Base, outside Bloemfontein, at 2am on September 1.

At the time, police said a serviceman on duty had shot two colleagues.

One of the men died on the scene and the other was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

SA National Defence Force spokesman Brig-Gen Xolani Mabanga said the circumstances leading to the shooting at the base were being investigated internally. – Sapa

Black man held for shooting taxi driver in Diepsloot

A man allegedly linked to the shooting of a taxi driver at the Diepsloot taxi rank in Johannesburg earlier this week has turned himself in, police said on Friday.

Warrant Officer Daniel Mavimbela said the man arrived at the police station with his attorney on Thursday night.

“His arrest takes to four the number of suspects charged with the attempted murder of the taxi driver,” said Mavimbela.

The three other men were arrested in Hillbrow on Wednesday.

All four of them would appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Police said the victim was standing with other taxi drivers on Monday morning when a car drove up to them.

An argument ensued between the taxi drivers and the occupants of the car.

One of the people in the car then opened fire, and shot the taxi driver in the lower body.

Police said they believed the shooting was related to a taxi drivers’ strike, which left hundreds of Diepsloot commuters stranded.

The taxi drivers were demanding to be promoted to taxi owners.

The strike ended on Wednesday. – Sapa

Airforce member appear on murder charge

A SA Air Force member appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on a murder charge on Tuesday.

The matter against Corporal Simphiwe Magudulela, 27, was postponed until September 17 for further investigation and to make arrangements for a psychiatric evaluation.

Magudulela was represented by a Legal Aid lawyer.

A man was killed and another was critically wounded in a shooting at the Bloemspruit Air Force Base, outside Bloemfontein, at 2am on September 1.

At the time, police said a member on duty had shot two colleagues.

One of the men died on the scene and the other was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

SA National Defence Force spokesman Brig-Gen Xolani Mabanga said the circumstances leading to the shooting at the base were being investigated internally. – Sapa

Shooting at Bloemspruit military base leaves one dead, one critical

One man has been killed and another left critically injured after an SA Air Force member opened fire at the Bloemspruit military base, Free State police said on Sunday.

“A member on duty shot two colleagues. One of them died on the scene and the other is in a critical condition,” said Captain Harry Nagel.

He said the shooting took place at around 2am on Sunday. One person has been arrested and is being detained at the police cells.

“We are investigating a case of murder and attempted murder,” said Nagel.

SA National Defence Force spokesman Brigadier General Xolani Mabanga confirmed the incident.

He said the injured SANDF member had been stabilised and was recovering in hospital.

“The circumstances leading to the shooting are being investigated,” Mabanga said.

Another shooting on Fochville farm

Drinking home brew at the shebeen on the farm

A man was shot dead on Tuesday, and another wounded on the Fochville land belonging to a farmer who allegedly shot and killed two men in the presence of police two days ago, according to a report.

The latest shooting took place close to the area where the first occurred.

Lt-Col Hennie Maass, commander of the Fochville police station, said the violence on the farmer’s land could be attributed to illegal miners fighting over land.

Maass said last week, 22 people had been arrested and deported.

“They fight back and forth and there’s a lot of violence and crime, but it is not reported,” he said.

The farmer on whose land the violence took place was arrested on Monday after he allegedly shot and killed two tenants and wounded a third in the presence of police.

He allegedly opened fire after people began stoning him and his workers.

The previous weekend, in an unrelated incident, a man was found murdered on the land, and on the Sunday, there were protests on his property.

Maass said about 2 000 people, mostly miners, were tenants on his land. – Sapa

Four Nigerians die in gang-style shooting in Benoni

Four Nigerians died when a group of men opened fire on them in Benoni, on the East Rand, police said on Friday.

Five men were in a Volkswagen Golf on Thursday evening when a car stopped in front of them, Constable Tim Masilela said.

A group of men got out of the car and opened fire, killing two men in the Golf.

A wounded passenger tried to run away, but collapsed and died a few metres from the scene. A fourth man died later in hospital. The fifth man in the car was not hurt.

“The motive behind the shooting is unknown. Police are still investigating,” Masilela said.

Last Saturday, three Nigerians were killed in a cellphone shop in Voortrekker Street, Benoni. They were inside the shop when five armed men entered around 6pm, Lt-Col Lungelo Dlamini said at the time.

The five opened fire, killing two of the customers, both 38, inside the shop, and the third man, 40, at the shop door.

The gunmen fled in a green BMW. They were also believed to be Nigerians, said Dlamini. He said the police found spent cartridges at the scene, and a licensed firearm belonging to one of the men who died. Nothing was stolen.

“The motive for the killing is still unknown but a possibility that the victims were a rival group is being investigated,” he said. – Sapa

Israeli forces kill American gunman

Israeli forces shot dead an American man who opened fire in a seaside hotel packed with tourists on Friday, killing one person.

The Friday incident at the lobby of Leonardo Club Hotel took place after an Israeli armed guard tried to intervene in an intense argument between the American and a hotel employee.

The US tourist then grabbed the guard’s gun and fired several shots, killing the hotel staffer.

The shooter has been described as “in his twenties” and part of an Israeli-American exchange program that is regularly sponsored by various pro-Israeli organizations across the US.

No other deaths or injuries have yet been reported, although some hotel guests and employees were reported to be suffering from psychological distress, requiring hospitalization.

Reports indicate that the shooter barricaded himself in the hotel’s kitchen after killing the employee and was shot dead by the police forces following what has been described as failed negotiations for his surrender.

The man barricaded himself in the hotel kitchen, shooting back at law enforcement officers. He was shot dead by members of a military counter-terrorism squad, a military source said.

An Israeli hotel guest, Aviram Sela, said he tried to wrestle the gunman to the ground before he started shooting, as terrified tourists dived for cover behind a sofa in the hotel lobby.

“We saw him beating the guard and grab his weapon and the magazine,” Sela told Israeli television, adding that the gunman then took aim at a member of his family.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Army Radio the incident “appears to be an internal dispute”.

Eilat, on the border with Egypt and Jordan, has been a target of militant attacks in the past, and has come under rocket fire from Egypt’s Sinai in the past several months. The city is currently crowded with both foreign tourists and Israelis on a seven-day Jewish religious holiday.

Heavyweight world champion Vitali Klitschko pays tribute to Corrie Sanders

Heavyweight world champion Vitali Klitschko has paid tribute to South African boxer Corrie Sanders who died Sunday after being shot in an armed robbery.

“Corrie Sanders was the most difficult opponent I ever fought,” the 41-year-old World Boxing Council (WBC) champion told Germany’s Sport Bild Plus.

Sanders beat Vitali’s younger brother, Wladimir, by technical knock-out in Hanover, Germany in 2003 when he stopped the Ukrainian in the second round in a major upset to win the WBO heavyweight title.

He fought Vitali Klitschko a year later in Los Angeles for the vacant WBC heavyweight title, but lost by a technical knock-out in the eighth round.

“Corrie was fast, could give and take a punch. His style was very dangerous and did not suit me. I was very pleased to be able to win this fight,” Vitali Klitschko said.

The Klitschko brothers expressed condolences on their Facebook page Sunday after hearing of Sanders’ death.

“We were shocked to learn of the sudden death of Corrie Sanders and we want to express our sincere condolences to his family,” they said.

“We will remember Corrie as a great person both inside and outside the ring. He was a great fighter with a big heart who always positively represented the sport of boxing.”

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Sanders, 46, was shot in the stomach and hand while attending a family celebration at a restaurant at Brit near Pretoria on Saturday evening. He was taken to hospital where he died early Sunday.

South African news reports Monday said Sanders had been at his nephew Michael’s 21st birthday party at the Thatch Haven Restaurant when four armed men stormed in randomly shooting.

According to SAPA news agency, the former boxing champion was at the entrance to the venue, making his way to the buffet, when the shooting started.

Eyewitnesses said Sanders had told his daughter Marinic, 15, to get down and play dead and was covering his daughter when he was shot.

Police brigadier Thulani Ngubane told South African news media a search was continuing for the gunmen in a murder inquiry. – Sapa

Former world-champion boxer Corrie Sanders refused medical treatment in South Africa

Corrie Sanders’s death: ‘like something out of a wild west movie’

Boxing trainer Harold Volbrecht says he was shocked to hear of the sudden death of his close friend Corrie Sanders.

Volbrecht, who trained Sanders for the first 14-years of the heavyweight champion’s professional career, said on Monday they had a shared a close relationship.

Sanders, 46, was killed during a robbery at a restaurant in Brits, North West, on Saturday night.

“I took over as his trainer for his first professional fight [against King Kong Dyubele in April 1989],” Volbrecht said.

“I flew to Cape Town, where Corrie stayed at the time, to watch the fight, and I brought him back with me [to Benoni] afterwards.

“He stayed with me and my family until he got married. He was like a son to me.”

Volbrecht said he had been fortunate to train some of the country’s most prized pugilists, including former IBF lightweight title holder Philip Holiday, and IBF and WBA super-featherweight champion Brian Mitchell, but he was closer to Sanders than any of the other fighters under his tutelage.

“Corrie was different because he stayed in my house,” Volbrecht said.

“We were much closer because I gave him daily advice. We had a very good relationship.”

Sanders beat Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in a second-round technical knockout in Hannover, Germany, to win the WBO heavyweight title in March 2003.

The following year he held Klitschko’s older brother Vitali for eight rounds before the fight was stopped in Los Angeles, California.

He retired in February 2008, after 46 professional fights, with 42 wins (31 of them by knockout) and only four defeats.

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“He was a brilliant all-round sportsman,” Volbrecht said.

“A lot of people assume, because he was a big guy, that he had a powerful punch, but he was not a powerful guy who picked up heavy weights.

“His hand speed and accuracy made him so effective.

“Muscle means nothing in boxing, and Corrie knew that. He understood the techniques of the sport.”

Volbrecht said Sanders, a keen golfer, had hoped to turn professional and wanted to play on the Champions Tour after he turned 50.

“It was his dream to play on the seniors tour as a professional golfer,” Volbrecht said.

“He had another four years to wait, but he was a brilliant golfer because he hit the ball so far.”

Volbrecht had been stunned to hear of Sanders’ death on Sunday morning.

“How does somebody walk into a restaurant while people are eating and just start shooting? It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

“I can’t believe it. It’s so senseless, like something out of a wild west movie.” – Sapa

Former world-champion boxer Corrie Sanders refused medical treatment in South Africa

Afrikaner boxer Corrie Sanders dies after shooting in Brits

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Corrie Sanders died in Kalafong Hospital on Sunday after being shot in a restaurant in Brits, North West police said.

The boxer was celebrating the birthday of his daughter when three armed men arrived in the restaurant and shot randomly on Saturday night, Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.

Sanders, 46, was shot in the hand and stomach.

Ngubane said it appeared that gunmen went to the restaurant with the aim to rob it.

“They shot randomly and took a cellphone of the daughter who was turning 21 years and they also took a bag of another patron in the premises,” he said.

No arrests have been made but police were investigating a murder case.

The former boxer was celebrating his daughter’s 21st birthday when three armed black men arrived at the restaurant and started randomly shooting on Saturday night, Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.

Sanders, 46, was shot in the hand and stomach.

Sanders, nicknamed ‘The Sniper’ in his fighting days, was one of South Africa’s most successful boxers on the global stage, winning the WBO title and holding his own against some of the most respected boxers in the world.

The heavyweight southpaw, trained by Harold Volbrecht, fought 46 times in his career, losing only four bouts.

He got off to a great start as a professional, making a name for himself when he won his first 23 fights on the trot in the early 1990’s before he was stopped in the second round by Nate Tubbs in his first defeat.

Sanders made his first real breakthrough in May 2000, and while he lost to Hasim Rahman in a seventh-round knockout, the South African had dropped the American as early as the first round, proving his ability in the heavyweight ranks.

“I’ve never been hit like that in my life,” said Rahman, who would go on to beat Lennox Lewis the following year for the WBC, IBO and IBF titles.

After considering retirement, and winning a couple more bouts, Sanders accepted a late invitation in March 2003, at the age of 37, to fight Wladimir Klitschko, and he stopped the Unkrainian in the second round to lift the WBO crown.

Having relinquished the title, after Lewis announced his retirement and Sanders struggled to find a worthy opponent, the South African, now the number one challenger for the WBC belt, went up against Klitschko’s older brother, Vitali, and held him off in a gutsy display for eight rounds before he was knocked out.

He retired in 2008, after going down to fellow South African Osborne Machimana in his last contest in the ring, and Sanders, a successful businessman, became a keen golfer after hanging up his gloves.

– Sapa

2 killed, 8 wounded in shoot-out outside Empire State Building

Two people were killed and at least eight were wounded in a shooting outside the landmark Empire State Building in New York City on Friday, a New York police source said.

One of the dead was the shooter, the source said, adding there was no apparent link to terrorism.

A white tarp covered what was believed to be a body in front of the entrance to the office building but police declined to confirm if it was the shooter.

“I heard the gunshots,” said Dahlia Anister, 33, who works at an office near the 102-story Empire State Building. “It was like pop, pop, pop. It was definitely in a bunch.”

The shooting started shortly after 9 a.m. on the busy sidewalk on Fifth Avenue outside the Midtown Manhattan building.

It came at the height of the tourist season outside one of New York City’s most popular attractions, startling tourists and commuters. Police cordoned off the area around the building, one of the most recognizable in the world.

The Empire State Building is two blocks from Pennsylvania Station and a few blocks from Grand Central Terminal, two of New York City’s main transportation hubs.

“People started running, saying somebody has a gun, so I just ran the other way. I was scared,” said Adrianne Lapar, 27, who works in the Empire State Building.

The United States has had two other mass shooting cases this summer. On July 20, James Holmes, 24, is accused of opening fire at a midnight screening of the Batman film “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 58.

On August 5, a gunman killed six people and critically wounded three at a Sikh temple outside Milwaukee before police shot him dead in an attack authorities treated as an act of domestic terrorism.

The Empire State Building was the world’s tallest building for 40 years from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center. Following the September 11, 2001, attacks, it was again the tallest building in the city, though was recently surpassed by a new tower under construction at the World Trade Center. – Reuters

Americans flock to Batman movie, regardless

The three 18-year-olds, friends since middle school, are about to go off separately to college this fall. But on Sunday, these avid fans of the Batman film franchise had no doubt where they wanted to be: Together, at the movies, watching “The Dark Knight Rises.”

“What happened in Colorado was horrible, but that guy was just a psycho,” said Sahil Agrawal, of Queens in New York City, waiting with friends David Kim and Danny Wong for an Imax showing on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. “This wasn’t going to change our plans.”

The three were typical of hordes of fans who packed theaters across the country over the weekend, keeping plans to see the final installment of the phenomenally successful Batman trilogy despite Friday’s horrific shooting in Colorado. Despite the occasional jitter – reflected in the choice of a back-row seat, perhaps, or a glance to see what security was in place – the fans seemed determined to look beyond the shooting.

“I’m not going to let some nut who shoots people dictate what I’m going to do,” said Ron Bondy, 36, in Bismarck, N.D., a sentiment echoed by fans all over the country.

Not that there weren’t some evident qualms among moviegoers. At the same theater in Bismarck, Jen Jackson had insisted upon one thing to her husband: They were going to sit in the back row in case they needed to get out fast. The 29-year-old architect was also forgoing the popcorn – not as a precaution, but because nerves had stolen her appetite.

“I’ll be honest, I’m kind of scared,” said Jackson. She had hesitated to come at all. But her husband, Patrick, standing alongside her, was pragmatic: “I don’t think anything would happen in Bismarck.”

Warner Bros. and other studios banded together to withhold the usual weekend revenue reports until Monday, a day later than usual, out of respect for the victims. But industry estimates suggested the film was on track to be the third highest opening weekend ever, after “The Avengers” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.”

Katie Birkel had no intention of missing the occasion. She was at a Manhattan showing along with three friends, celebrating one of their birthdays. Birkel said she had been inspired by a statement from the film’s director, Christopher Nolan, after the tragedy, which occurred at the midnight showing in Aurora, Colo.

“He said that movies are about coming together and sharing an experience,” noted Birkel, 28. “I agree with that.”

Mike Sumner, standing a few steps behind her in a Batman T-shirt, said he was comforted by seeing the NYPD outside the theater – at least two officers were patrolling outside. “Colorado was an isolated incident,” he said. “I’m not afraid of copycats. Besides, I’m a New Yorker. We’re always vigilant.”

Police were also visible outside a theater in McAllen, Texas, near the Mexico border, where an officer firmly waved away drivers who attempted to stop in front.

Inside, Juan Carlos Rivera waited with his mother-in-law and his wife. The 38-year-old Brownsville resident said the family had been big fans of the first two movies and wouldn’t want to skip the third.

“It looks like it was an isolated incident,” Rivera said of the mass shooting. He said he’d probably sit on the aisle – not out of fear, but because his wife was pregnant and might need the restroom. “You can’t allow a random event like that to terrorize you,” he said.

Besides, many said in interviews, what was the chance that lightning would strike twice?

“I don’t think that that many people are crazy enough,” reasoned Dayna Freeman of Kansas City, Mo.

Her date, Tom Meyer, added that the theater – the Cinemark Palace at The Plaza – had excellent security. The two had bought their tickets on Sunday, but like most interviewed, they said the shooting in no way had sparked their curiosity. “No, I can’t imagine anything like that,” said Meyer.

Meyer added that he didn’t think the content of the movie had anything to do with the crime: “You can’t really attribute the actions of a nut to the movies,” he said. “Two years ago, he would have picked `Avatar.'”

Still, despite sharing that logic, some were showing nerves. In Hollywood, Fla., Steve Parenteau, 45, said he wasn’t thinking at all about the shooting. But his 13-year-old son, Noah, looked solemn, saying the Colorado tragedy was on his mind. “It’s scary,” he said. “I can picture it.”

And at a multiplex in downtown Chicago, roommates Sarah Cantor and Brittany Carter avoided a midnight showing. “I was relieved to know that we were going to a matinee,” said Cantor, 23.

Still, most moviegoers echoed the feeling that the attack could have happened anywhere, anytime.

“Things are going to happen wherever they’re going to happen, because people are nuts wherever,” said Rachel Cox, who saw the movie at Atlanta’s Midtown Arts Cinema. “Crazy travels, so I don’t really think it has anything to do with geography or the movie … crazy people are crazy.” Still, she added, she planned to sit in the back – because she likes the view from there, but also because she considered it safer, even before Colorado.

In midtown Manhattan, Randy Cordero and Megan Rivera sat on the pavement outside an AMC Loews Theater, waiting with soft drinks and a magazine for a late-afternoon show. They’d bought their tickets online Saturday, and said the shooting hadn’t affected their plans. They’d hoped for a midnight showing, but it was sold out.

“I don’t think it’ll happen to me, but it can always happen,” noted Cordero. But Rivera said there was one thing that would indeed cause her some concern: seeing someone in costume, especially as the Joker (New York’s police commissioner, Ray Kelly, said the shooter, James Holmes, had his hair painted red and said he was the Joker, but Aurora police have not confirmed that.) “I’d feel more cautious, and I’d think, `I’ve got to watch that guy,'” she said.

Waiting for an earlier show at the same theater was Devin Favors, 24, an event ticket broker from Brooklyn. He said he’d bought his ticket last week, but even if he hadn’t, nothing would have stopped him from seeing the movie.

After all, he said, “This is America. And you should be able to go where you want to go, and see what you want to see.” – AP