A St George’s Grammar School pupil is recovering after being shot in the arm by a mugger in Mowbray.
Two men accosted the pupil and his brother as they crossed the Mowbray terminus footbridge, at 4pm, on Tuesday July 27.
School principal Julian Cameron said the high school pupils had been walking to the Mowbray Community Hub.
“One of the boys apparently did not want to hand over his phone and belongings and was subsequently shot at close range in the upper arm,” he said.
A school employee witnessed the incident and alerted the school.
“Three senior-management staff members rushed to the scene, where the paramedics and police were already in attendance,” Mr Cameron said.
Mowbray police station commander Lieutenant Colonel David Malong said one of the muggers had carried a knife, the other a gun.
The muggers were wearing masks and dark clothing, he said. They are still at large.
Kofi Ndele, who owns a spaza shop near the bridge, said he had gone to investigate after hearing gunfire.
“I ran out of my shop to see what was happening, and then I saw two school kids running down the stairs and the security by the station assisted in calling the police.”
Mr Ndele said he used to open his shop at 5am and close at around 8pm, but, since the shooting, he only opened at 7am and closed at 5.30pm.
Mr Cameron said the pupil was at home, recovering from his injury. “The reality of what has happened takes a while to hit home, and, as a school, we will ensure that this young man is given the support at school as he recovers physically and emotionally.”
Mowbray Community Police Forum chairman Jonathan Hobday said school pupils should stay alert on the street because they were soft targets for muggers.
“They should try to move in groups at places like the transport interchange and bus stops; they should avoid using or displaying electronic equipment; and they should not hang around and make themselves vulnerable.”
Anyone with information can call Mowbray police at 021 680 9584.
