Cape Town - Police have arrested one person after a 6-year-old boy was gunned down while travelling in a car with his family.
Cheslin April, a Grade R pupil from Strand, is the son of Lwadle police’s crime prevention commander, Warrant Officer Charles April.
According to News24, April, his wife and their four children were driving home after a family outing on Saturday when his son was shot in the head.
The heartbroken father told the publication that usually he is the person to call for help, yet when his son needed him, he couldn’t save him.
On Saturday, the family took a drive and stopped for breakfast in Gordon’s Bay before heading to Sir Lowry’s Pass, as the children wanted to see the baboons.
April said no baboons were spotted and while heading home they noticed a commotion but turned down a side road to avoid potential danger.
However, the family were not aware of the danger which awaited them.
April turned onto Sercor Drive, where people shouted he needed to turn around as shots were fired in the vicinity earlier, News24 reported.
“As I was reversing, one shot was fired. I thought a stone had hit the car. I didn’t even consider that they had shot one of my children until my wife started screaming.”
He saw Cheslin bleeding, and he took off his T-shirt to cover the wound.
"My 14-year-old son used his bare hands to try to help his brother, to stop the bleeding. His younger sister and brother were covered in his blood. They just froze – they didn’t move or talk. No child should ever have to witness something like that,” News24 quoted April saying.
The father managed to flag down an ambulance.
The boy died in hospital two hours later.
Cheslin’s siblings are having a hard time understanding why he will not be going to Grade 1.
“The children bring each other their school uniforms in the morning. My five-year-old son came into the room this morning with Cheslin’s shoes.
“I had to explain again that Chessie is in heaven now. He then wanted to know if that meant he wouldn’t be going to school anymore,” April was quoted as saying.
Little Cheslin dreamt of becoming a firefighter or law enforcement officer when he grew up. Now, his family will never see him prospering to his full potential.
His funeral will take place at the Dr GJ Joubert Primary School.
April told the publication he wished he was shot instead of his little boy.
Provincial police spokesperson, Captain Frederick van Wyk, confirmed the incident and said a 25-year-old man was arrested shortly after the shooting incident.