The funeral will take at the AFM Church in Westbury and she will be buried at the West Park Cemetery in Johannesburg. Heather Peterson, 45, the mother who was shot dead in the crossfire between gang members in Westbury on September 27, was laid to rest on Saturday.
The eulogy in the funeral letter for Peterson reads: “You taught us to love and how to fight, you gave us strength, you gave us might.”
News24 reported earlier that Peterson was walking her son home from school, as the school holidays were about to begin.
She was shot several times, at point-blank range, in the face, and died in a pool of blood. Residents say she pushed aside a young child, possibly her son, when the shooter approached. The child suffered a bullet wound to the leg but survived.
#HeatherPetersonFuneral The woman who was gunned down during an alleged gang-related shooting in Westbury will be laid to rest today. pic.twitter.com/aqBErGykeo
— silindelo masikane (@Slindelo_M) October 6, 2018
Peterson’s death sparked violent protests in the suburb that saw police fire rubber bullets at protesters on Monday. Eight people were arrested for public violence. Police Minister Bheki Cele on Thursday launched a Tactical Response Team (TRT) at the Westbury Sports Centre, following a spate of gang-related killings in the area.
Cele said there had been 36 gang-related deaths in the past financial year and 33 in the current financial year.
“We are sick and tired. They [gangsters] should be the people dying here,” Cele said. The minister added: “Go sleep peacefully. They [the TRT] will look after you.”
By Friday, protests had spread to Ennerdale and Eldorado Park, but these were mostly peaceful. Police, however, remained on high alert, EWN reported.
Source: Daily Sun
