Eldorado Park, a mixed-race community in Johannesburg, has descended into complete chaos after residents clashed with armed police, on Thursday.
Eldorado Park violence: What’s the latest?
At the time of publishing this article, tensions were still palpable in the community that borders Hillbrow. The public order unit from the South African Police Service (SAPS) was despatched to monitor protest action that started earlier this morning.
However, the presence of the officers triggered residents who believe that SAPS is, in some capacity at least, responsible for the tragic death of a 16-year-old boy, Nathaniel Julius, who was killed on Wednesday.
Here are the latest videos of the situation that is unfolding in Eldorado Park:
Did Eldorado Park police kill the down syndrome teen?
Details surrounding the incident that prompted the unrest in Eldorado Park are still sketchy but according to reports, Julius allegedly died at the hands of the police.
Julius’ family claim that the teen who suffered from down syndrome, a genetic disorder associated with intellectual disability, was on his way to find food when he allegedly encountered a police van that had its emergency lights turned on.
This, the family claims, triggered a reaction from Julius. The rolling blue lights excited him. At some point between that and the police allegedly confronting him, the teen was shot. Furthermore, eNCA reports that Julius was ‘dumped’ at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital where he later died.
Conflicting reports from Urban Soweto News claim that Julius was killed by a stray bullet. It’s alleged in the report that he was caught in the crossfire of a shooting between the police and alleged car-part thieves.
This version of events, however, has not been verified.
IPID launches internal probe into the death of Julius
While authorities are locked in a fiery encounter with revolting Eldorado Park residents, back at the police station, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has launched an internal probe into the death of the teen.
No statements have been made by IPID or SAPS at this stage.
This is a developing story.