NEXT door to the teenager’s home is a corner shop stocked with supplies – milk, bread, sweets and chocolates, cans of food, cooldrinks, tins of coffee. And the biscuits the boy loved so much: a little packet of three to four shortbread cookies that sold for R1.
Nathaniel Julies often walked to the shop to buy his biscuits, a source of pleasure for the teen who had many challenges in life.
He had Down syndrome and according to his mom, Bridget, he was often ill and spent a lot of time in hospital.
But ask anyone in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, about Nathaniel and they’ll tell you about a “sunshine child” with an innocent smile who’d captured the heart of the community.
Now the boy everyone loved is gone, his life snuffed out by a bullet – allegedly from a policeman’s gun – one night as he leaned against a truck, eating his favourite biscuits.
Nathaniel’s death has sparked fury in Eldorado Park, an area plagued by gangsterism and crime. What exactly went down that night has yet to be determined but witnesses all tell a similar story: Nathaniel did nothing to provoke the cops.
Some reports claim the police believed the truck the teen was leaning against contained stolen parts and that he’d failed to respond when questioned.
Gauteng premier David Makhura released a statement saying the boy had been caught in crossfire between police and gang members but witnesses say there was no shooting – just a single shot, then Nathaniel crumpled to the ground.
They say police tossed the 16-year-old’s body into the back of a police van and dropped it offat the hospital “like trash”.
Denne historien er fra 10 September 2020-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra 10 September 2020-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
The unusual relationship between an heiress and her husband has taken a sinister twist
HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY
Noor Siddiqui says her company can test embryos for hundreds of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Critics call it social engineering but she insists she's just giving prospective parents the means to avoid a lot of future heartache
THE GROWN-UP BRAIN
If you think your brain deteriorates as you age, think again!
THE eyes HAVE IT
They're the windows to our soul - and the first place to show the stresses of everyday life. Juliette Winter reveals expert tips to de-puff, brighten and smooth this delicate area
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
It hasn't been an easy road but now this bodybuilding couple are making waves in the industry
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!
Annetjie's about to get effective treatment for the skin condition that has blighted her life and she's looking forward to hitting the shops and facing the world
'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'
When SA boxer Chris van Heerden's Russian girlfriend went to visit her parents she was thrown in jail and accused of treasonnow he's in a fight to free her
SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!
A sun-drenched holiday turned into a living nightmare for those aboard this luxury vessel
READY TO SMILE AGAIN
A groundbreaking surgical procedure will restore this Limpopo teen's badly damaged jaw and teeth
HARRY AT A CROSSROADS
As the prince turns 40, royal experts paint a picture of a troubled soul- isolated, homesick and struggling to find a purpose in life