A 17-year-old Durban boy ran for his life and hid under a bus, but could not escape gunmen who fired at him on Butcher Road, Sydenham, in Durban on Sunday afternoon.

The teenager, identified as Jarrell Somana, sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Col Thembeka Mbele on Monday said a vehicle approached Somana when he was walking on the street just before 1pm.

“Three men alighted from the vehicle and shot at the teenager. The victim ran into a nearby premises where he tried to hide under a bus parked in the yard. The gunmen continued to shoot at the victim,” she said.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said when paramedics arrived on scene they found the teenager on the ground in a garden.

“It was alleged by members of the public that the boy was seen running up the road chased by an unknown number of people. The male was assessed by an advanced life support paramedic, but showed no signs of life and was declared deceased,” he said.

Mbele said the Sydenham police trio task team were alerted and responded swiftly.

“They pursued the suspects and were joined by a local security company. The suspects were spotted as they drove through 45th Cutting Avenue. When the suspects reached a dead end, they opened fire on police officials before abandoning their vehicle,” Mbele said.

Two men, aged 26 and 27, were arrested while the third man fled into the bushes.

“Police seized two firearms and seven rounds of ammunition which will be subjected to ballistic testing. Investigations revealed that the recovered vehicle was hijacked in Ntuzuma last month,” said Mbele.

“The suspects are expected to appear in the Durban magistrate's court on Tuesday on charges of murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.”

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