A student who captured the harrowing images of a fellow University of Johannesburg student who was shot dead‚ allegedly by a security guard‚ on Saturday morning‚ found himself in conflict with the law in the early hours of Thursday.
Magnificent Mndebele‚ a freelance photographer who was at the scene at the time of the shooting‚ was visited between 1am and 2am by two officers claiming to be from crime intelligence at his residence in the Johannesburg city centre.
Mndebele said they confiscated his laptop computer and cellphone.
“They claimed there were photographs on these devices which may be evidence in the murder case‚” Mndebele’s attorney Willem de Klerk said.
De Klerk said Mndebele had offered to give them photographs after he witnessed the shooting incident.
“They told him he can collect these devices on condition that all the images will be deleted permanently. We have had discussions with the police this morning‚” De Klerk said.
De Klerk said he had spoken to a senior official from police crime intelligence‚ who undertook to come back with an opinion later on Thursday afternoon on whether or not the devices would be released.
“It seems the police are of the view that the publication of these images constitutes a crime. The problem my client has is that he is studying for exams which start in a week’s time. He requires these devices to study‚” De Klerk said.
He said there was no warrant for the seizure‚ adding that they had not taken a statement from Mndebele‚ who was an eyewitness to the murder.
The man who shot BSc Computer Science and Informatics student‚ Kevin Baloyi‚ is still at large.
Johannesburg police have undertaken to comment once they have gathered further information.
Mndebele described to TMG Digital on Monday how the dead student and his friends were having a good time when two men‚ one dressed in a security uniform and the other wearing jeans‚ came and chased them as a party was winding down.
“They decided to go to the 14th floor to further celebrate because the party at the first floor had just ended. When I got to the 14th floor I found them in an argument with the guy in jeans.”
Mndebele said the argument moved from a lounge‚ where about five students were asking the “security guard” to leave‚ to a corridor next to a black staircase.
“The students were not causing trouble so I can’t tell you why he chased them. So they started pushing him‚ asking him to leave and when he left he just shot at someone‚” charged Mndebele.
Mndebele said a 9mm bullet casing lay on the staircase after the shot was fired. He added that he knew the student was dead after his friends called his name out a couple of times to no avail. Next to his body lay an overturned glass and a cap.
“As [the gunman] left‚ he was not even running. He just walked calmly‚” Mndebele said. — TMG Digital
Police confiscate cellphone‚ laptop of student who snapped UJ shooting pics
A student who captured the harrowing images of a fellow University of Johannesburg student who was shot dead‚ allegedly by a security guard‚ on Saturday morning‚ found himself in conflict with the law in the early hours of Thursday.
Magnificent Mndebele‚ a freelance photographer who was at the scene at the time of the shooting‚ was visited between 1am and 2am by two officers claiming to be from crime intelligence at his residence in the Johannesburg city centre.
Mndebele said they confiscated his laptop computer and cellphone.
“They claimed there were photographs on these devices which may be evidence in the murder case‚” Mndebele’s attorney Willem de Klerk said.
De Klerk said Mndebele had offered to give them photographs after he witnessed the shooting incident.
“They told him he can collect these devices on condition that all the images will be deleted permanently. We have had discussions with the police this morning‚” De Klerk said.
De Klerk said he had spoken to a senior official from police crime intelligence‚ who undertook to come back with an opinion later on Thursday afternoon on whether or not the devices would be released.
“It seems the police are of the view that the publication of these images constitutes a crime. The problem my client has is that he is studying for exams which start in a week’s time. He requires these devices to study‚” De Klerk said.
He said there was no warrant for the seizure‚ adding that they had not taken a statement from Mndebele‚ who was an eyewitness to the murder.
The man who shot BSc Computer Science and Informatics student‚ Kevin Baloyi‚ is still at large.
Johannesburg police have undertaken to comment once they have gathered further information.
Mndebele described to TMG Digital on Monday how the dead student and his friends were having a good time when two men‚ one dressed in a security uniform and the other wearing jeans‚ came and chased them as a party was winding down.
“They decided to go to the 14th floor to further celebrate because the party at the first floor had just ended. When I got to the 14th floor I found them in an argument with the guy in jeans.”
Mndebele said the argument moved from a lounge‚ where about five students were asking the “security guard” to leave‚ to a corridor next to a black staircase.
“The students were not causing trouble so I can’t tell you why he chased them. So they started pushing him‚ asking him to leave and when he left he just shot at someone‚” charged Mndebele.
Mndebele said a 9mm bullet casing lay on the staircase after the shot was fired. He added that he knew the student was dead after his friends called his name out a couple of times to no avail. Next to his body lay an overturned glass and a cap.
“As [the gunman] left‚ he was not even running. He just walked calmly‚” Mndebele said. — TMG Digital
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