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'I'm happy I shot one of them'
18/08/2005 12:03 - (SA)
Johannesburg - A woman is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot in the neck during an attempted hijacking on Wednesday night in Witpoortjie, Roodepoort.
Michelle van Aswegen, 42, is on life support after hijackers shot at her and her family on the pavement outside their home.
"The bullet that hit her went off the bone, through her lung and out of her back," her husband, Anthony van Aswegen 44, said on Thursday.
Anthony broke down describing the harrowing ordeal and Michelle's injuries.
"I have just come to pack a bag of stuff for hospital," he said on Thursday morning.
Anthony said the whole family was traumatised.
"Especially my daughter Nadine who saw her mother lying there with blood spurting everywhere."
Anthony said he and Michelle had got home from work to find their daughter Nadine, 21, with her boyfriend Adriaan van Blerk, 21.
"At about 10 past nine, he left to go to work, and I went with them outside to say goodbye," he said.
"I never walk out with the kids, but for some strange reason I went outside too."
They were confronted by three men in their 20s, two of them armed.
"In five seconds they had Adriaan in the car. I ran inside to fetch my firearm, and shouted to Nadine and Michelle to get away, to find a safe place.
"One guy shot at me and I returned fire. I heard one guy saying 'Skiet hom, skiet hom'. I think they were talking about Adriaan."
Anthony said he fired eight rounds, and "one guy was wounded".
"Then my wife shouted that she'd been shot. I couldn't dial any numbers. I couldn't remember even 10111."
The neighbours telephoned the police and emergency services when they heard screaming.
"Michelle was too badly wounded to go to hospital by ambulance, so a helicopter airlifted her out."
Anthony said that he was "very happy to say that I hit one of them".
Anthony praised the police.
"They were there in five minutes and arrested one of the guys who had collapsed about half a block away. He was trying to run away with the others.
"The cops were brilliant and so was Lifeflight, the paramedic chopper."
Anthony said his employers, Black and White Trucks, where he is workshop foreman, had offered help with medical expenses and counselling.
The couple's children, Quinton, 25, Nadine, 21, Anita 17, and Anthony, 14, were all at home on Thursday morning.
"We will go for counselling when things have settled down."
West Rand SAPS spokesperson Inspector Katlego Mogale confirmed the attempted hijacking.
"A 19-year-old suspect was shot in the chest and is in hospital under police guard," she said.
The West Rand anti-hijacking task team was searching for the other two robbers.
- SAPA
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