A teen’s dream of becoming a law enforcement officer has been shattered after he was injured in gang crossfire over the weekend.
Chad-Lee Laskin, 17, from Heideveld, was shot in the leg while standing and chatting to his friends in front of their home in Marianna Court on Sunday evening.
The Grade 10 learner was immediately rushed to hospital, where he received treatment.
On Monday morning, an injured Chad-Lee sat with a cast around his left leg and a pair of crutches next to his blood-soaked jeans, recalling what happened.
"My friends and I were just about to greet each other when I got a warm feeling down my leg," he explained.
"I don’t recall hearing a shot; I didn't see the shooter; I didn't even know I was shot.
"I can’t stay out of school; we are busy with exams, and how will I keep fit now?"
Chad-Lee, who planned to join the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement after school, said the incident has made him change his mind.
"I don’t ever want to go through what I went through or watch other innocent children go through this," the teen added.
Chad-Lee’s mother, Vinolia, told the Daily Voice that her heart sank into her stomach when she was told her son was shot.
"I didn’t expect it because he is an innocent child," Vinolia said.
"I am so fed up, really. Something needs to be done. We as a community need to start working together to rid the area of such criminals."
They’ve decided not to open a case with police, Vinolia added, as they had no details of the shooting.
Manenberg Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Vanessa Adriaanse said the community is devastated.
"To target our innocents and kids especially is not acceptable, and we will not accept it," she added.