Brazen hit on gang suspect

Pandemonium broke out as pedestrians, bystanders and staff at shops along Govan Mbeki Avenue scattered and ran for cover.

The shooting left suspected gangster Cheslyn Jaggers, 31, dead and two others injured, while a fourth occupant of the bullet-riddled blue VW Citi Golf escaped unharmed.

The shooting happened during mid-morning traffic at the intersection of Darling Street and Govan Mbeki Avenue in North End, just 600m from the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court.

It is alleged that Jaggers was a member of the Dustlifes gang before moving to the Spotbouers gang.

After the shooting, the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court upped security and deployed members from the Tactical Response Team inside the court room, where about eight gang-related shootings and murder cases were scheduled to be heard.

Jaggers was due to appear in court to be charged – along with two others who are in custody – for illegal possession of a firearm and two counts of attempted murder, all linked to gang-related cases.

Within minutes of the daring shooting, police and traffic officials cordoned off Govan Mbeki Avenue.

Twelve spent bullet casings lay on the roadside while curious bystanders lined the street watching medics and police at work.

The bullet-riddled Golf, which came to a halt after crashing into the pavement at car dealer Motorland, had seven bullet holes in the back windscreen, one in the back tyre, three in the side door panels, and one in the bonnet.

Yesterday’s shooting follows the murder of Rowan November, 31, in Shirley Street, Newton Park, at 8pm on Saturday.

Police said the two latest killings were part of the ongoing war between the Spotbouers and Dustlifes gangs.

Parts of yesterday’s incident were filmed on the municipal CCTV camera system at the intersection.

Insiders revealed that the shooting was not caught on tape, but the crash was.

A witness, who works at a nearby shop and spoke on condition of anonymity, described the shooting as like an action movie, with bullets flying and cars speeding off.

“The blue Golf stopped at the intersection when a car pulled up almost next to it,” the distraught witness said.

“The Golf was in the middle lane and had stopped behind a bakkie at the red light. The next thing a man got out of the car and just started shooting.

“The driver of the Golf accelerated and managed to escape by crossing over the bus lane, hitting the pavement and crossing the intersection.

“There were cars crossing but the Golf managed to dodge them. The driver then lost control of the car, which mounted the pavement and came to a stop on the opposite side of the intersection.”

The Golf stopped about 100m from where the shooting started, with its front tyres mounted on the pavement outside the Motorland showroom.

“The shooter actually chased the car for a very short distance but then the car that dropped him off sped away, and he ran up towards Swartkops Street,” the witness said.

Another witness, who went out to see what had happened after hearing several gunshots, said he came out of his shop as the car crashed.

“There was a group of us standing around when we heard the gunshots,” he said.

“At first we thought it was a car backfiring but after hearing the quick succession of shots we realised someone was shooting.

“People were running around trying to get away.

“Several shops just closed their doors as people ran inside to get away.

“When the car crashed, the three men jumped out and ran off down Govan Mbeki.

“A group of bystanders then ran up to the car and tried to help the guy [Jaggers] who had been shot.

“Some tried to get him out the car, but when the medics arrived he was already dead.

“He [Jaggers] was shot several times. He was sitting in the back seat of the car.”

When authorities arrived, the three other men who had been in the car were taken to Livingstone Hospital.

Police spokesman Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said two of the four men in the blue Citi Golf had been scheduled to appear in court.

She said two of the three survivors had been shot.

“One passenger escaped unharmed while another was shot in the back and the other in the arm, with a head injury from a bullet grazing his face.”