Teen dies after man 'plays around with a gun'
The teenager was hanging around a property that has been allegedly marked as a drug den.
The gun debate is a contentious one. The number of arms that go around illegally leaves many people feeling unsafe, but then what about those that choose to own a gun legally for their safety? But the question is, how safe is it to have a gun even if it's legally attained?
All these questions are valid but don't mean anything when the person behind the gun chooses to be careless about handling that gun.
This brings us to this sad story of a teenager who was literally at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Breyden Rai, 17, lived in Wentworth with his aunt and was said to have been sitting on a balcony of a property that was allegedly a drug den.
According to MSN: “One of the men walked down the stairs to apparently sell drugs to a customer. While downstairs, a gunshot was heard from the balcony. The deceased was found to have sustained a gunshot wound to the back of his head that exited the top of his skull, Police Spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said."
Upon further investigation, it came to light that the accused was in possession of the gun and he was playing around with it when the gunshot went off, which is said to have killed Rai immediately.
Read more: 2 men gunned down in Pietermaritzburg
Lizelle Rai, Breyden's mother, spoke about her son and how he had planned to become a veterinarian because he loved dogs. She admitted that like any child, her son had good and bad habits, but the fact that the neighbourhood was filled with many territorial disputes, it was difficult to keep him out of it all.
She went on to say that parents needed to stand together as a community and stop the sale of drugs. It was also revealed that the family had been receiving death threats since the accused was arrested.
Read more: Mpophomeni Inkosi and aide gunned down
In light of this story and the Rai family's situation, we have to shine a light on the fact that there are most likely so many untold stories such as these. These communities live in warfare behind closed doors and it's the sad truth.
We hope that Breyden's life will inspire the community to stand up and face their troubles.
Image Courtesy of iStock