The 58-year-old man arrested for fatally shooting motorist Faisal ul Rehma in a road rage incident in Emmarentia, Johannesburg, won't be charged for now.
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The National Prosecuting Authority has decided not to prosecute — at least for now — the 58-year-old man arrested for fatally shooting a motorist in a road rage incident in Emmarentia, Johannesburg, on Sunday.
He was supposed to appear in the Johannesburg magistrate's court on Tuesday after being arrested for the murder of Faisal ul Rehman, 48, and the attempted murder of his wife, Tehseen.
"After careful consideration of the evidence of the alleged road rage incident which occurred in Emmarentia, the NPA has decided not to prosecute the matter pending further investigation," NPA spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole said.
The man's legal team had submitted representations to the state arguing that their client acted in self-defence.
In his warning statement, the man claimed that Rehman and Tehseen had verbally abused and physically assaulted him after the collision.
He said Tehseen escalated the situation by producing a firearm and discharging it, before handing the weapon to her husband, who also fired in his direction.
He said he discharged his own firearm in what he described as private defence, striking Rehman fatally and wounding Tehseen.
Gauteng police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi previously said Rehman was killed after a minor fender-bender on Barry Hertzog Avenue turned into a shooting.
"It is alleged that a female passenger, suspected to be the wife of one of the drivers, went to get a firearm from the car, and the second driver also pulled out his firearm, resulting in a shooting which claimed the life of the husband, leaving the other driver and the female passenger injured," Nevhuhulwi said.
"The police will be investigating a case of murder and attempted murder.
"The public, especially drivers, is urged to always abide by traffic rules and exercise patience while using public roads to avoid road rage situations."
The decision not to prosecute is a blow to the Rehman family, whose nephew Muhammad Wasi Haider told IOL earlier on Tuesday that he intended to pursue justice to the fullest of his capacity.
A video of the incident has since gone viral on social media.
In it, the dead man's young daughter can be seen screaming and crying over her father's body as it lies on the side of the road.
Her younger brother, his small hands covered in blood, desperately tries to revive his father with CPR.
Nearby, their mother sits wounded on the ground, bleeding from her gunshot wounds.
IOL