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Family and friends of Darren Maggott, who was allegedly shot nine times by a police officer, gathered together on Tuesday to remember him and mourn his death at a memorial service held for him in Durbanville, Cape Town.
Maggott, who was a suspect in a café robbery, had been sitting in a stationary car in Plattekloof on May 10, when a police officer from the Maitland flying squad allegedly shot him nine times.
The 31-year-old's stepmother, Yolandi Maggott, took to Facebook to express her grief: "Rest in peace, Darren Maggott. He was sadly taken away from us on Thursday evening as he was sitting peacefully in his car. He was shot nine times by the police after just being a suspect in an alleged café robbery the Wednesday evening."
She said no one deserved to die in that manner.
"Please keep us in your prayers as no one deserves to die like this. Full investigations are being done by the professionals. Darren, my boy, we know you were lonely, but we will miss you tremendously."
In an interview with Times Live, Yolandi Maggott explained that he handed himself over to detectives the night before his death, after police raided his home in Durbanville.
"The officers told us that he wasn't under arrest, and that he had panicked after voluntarily going to the police station," she said.
"They said that there was no evidence that he was guilty and that they were only looking for him."
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson Moses Dlamini said that the police allege that Maggott was shot because he reached for a firearm.
Maggott died on the scene and his body was transported to the Tygerberg mortuary, where he was identified by his family.
"The investigation is currently under way. No arrests have been made," Dlamini said.
The memorial service was held at the Durbanville Methodist Church.
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