Man dies protecting girlfriend
2008-03-03 08:03
Pretoria - He fought to protect his girlfriend. He paid for it with his life.
This was how Desmond Olivier, a private investigator from Pretoria, reacted after his nephew was shot and killed by three robbers on Saturday morning.
Alleyne Ross, 21, a sound engineer from Kyalami, died at the scene.
Olivier related how Ross, his girlfriend, whose name is being withheld to protect her, and a group of friends visited her smallholding in Austin View in Midrand on Friday night.
'Life is worth bugger all'
Shortly before 05:00 the last of the guests left and Ross and his girlfriend went to bed.
"At about 05:15 somebody pulled the blankets from Ross and his girlfriend," said Olivier.
"When they woke up, three men were standing next to their bed, telling them: 'You are under house arrest'".
"Alleyne climbed into them and started hitting them. He did it to protect his girlfriend."
"One of the robbers must have panicked and started shooting. Maybe he thought it was a way out."
"His girlfriend said she sat down and covered her head when the shots rang out."
"Alleyne was hit in the right forearm. The bullet went through his lungs and heart."
"He walked to the front door, where he collapsed."
"His last word was 'eina'".
He made a choking sound and then died, said Olivier.
Ross's girlfriend climbed through the same kitchen window the robbers had used to enter the house and called her father, who lived on the same premises.
The robbers left with a cellphone and worthless jewellery. Police and family members later found some of the jewellery in a field near the house.
"Alleyne fought to the end for what was his. He paid for it with his life."
"And all that for a cellphone and worthless jewellery. A person's life is worth bugger all."