IPID chief updates family of Leo Williams on inquiry into his death from a police rubber bullet

The executive director of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) on Thursday for the first time visited the legal guardian of nine-year-old Leo Williams, who was allegedly shot by a police officer during protests in Laingville, St Helena Bay, on 31 July. The life-support system was switched off on Monday 17 August and Leo died shortly afterwards.

IPID head Jennifer Ntlatseng and Western Cape provincial head Thabo Leholo sat down with Leo’s guardian, Cathy Thomas, and gave an update on the investigation into the death of Leo. Community leader Thyrone Williams also attended the meeting.

IPID has gone on record saying Leo was killed by a police rubber bullet. A video clip capturing four policemen firing at the corrugated structure in which Leo and his friends were playing and watching TV, was handed to IPID investigators. 

Leo sustained a head wound and doctors were unable to remove the bullet that was lodged in his brain. On Monday 17 August, doctors at Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town switched off the life-support system and two days later a fragment of the blue rubber bullet was removed during an autopsy at Salt River Mortuary.

Ntlatseng said: “We want to tell the family of the late Leo that IPID has prioritised this matter. We are still waiting on the ballistics and postmortem reports which are not within the control of IPID.

“IPID is working very hard to ensure that justice is brought for this family and will investigate this case to ensure that by the time this case gets into court, there is good evidential information that is gathered to ensure that [there is] justice for his family.”

Thomas told Maverick Citizen she appreciated the fact that the IPID boss had come all the way to Laingville and personally gave her an update on the status of the investigation. “That meant a lot to me,” she said. 

“It was the first time since the incident that I really cried. I knew from the day of the incident that the police had shot Leo. Ten minutes before Leo was shot I was outside in the road and begged police to stop shooting and told them there are a lot of children in the area that could be wounded.

“Leo’s case is different from what happened to Nathaniel Julies, who was allegedly killed by police during protest action in Eldorado Park. It was dark when Leo was wounded. Yes, the police fired at the corrugated structure, but the four police officers had masks on their faces so I understand it is difficult for IPID to identify which one of the officers fired the shot,” she said.

As much as Thomas wants one of the four police officers to be arrested in connection with the murder of Leo, she emphasised that IPID must meticulously investigate the matter to make sure the right person is arrested and there is enough evidence against the perpetrator.

But community leader Williams was not happy and said he had expected IPID to come with news that an arrest had been made. “This is what the residents wanted to hear,” he said, adding that the community was on the verge of barricading Laingville with burning tyres.

“On Wednesday night when the news of IPID confirming Leo was killed by a rubber bullet surfaced, I had a battle on my hands to reduce the tension in the area. It is seven weeks after the incident and the people want to see an arrest.

“The guns of the four officers who fired into the corrugated structure were taken by IPID and sent for ballistics. IPID wasn’t able to give me a timeline of how long it’s going to take to arrest someone,” he said.

On Thursday night Williams informed the community that no arrest had been made and warned that he could no longer contain the simmering tension in the community. DM/MC