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”.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 10 September 2020 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 10 September 2020 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!
Kourtney Kardashian and other celebs are honouring the glory of new moms' postpartum bodies
LEON'S ORDEAL IS NO JOKE
Pain has dominated entertainer Leon Schuster's life after a serious back injury landed him in bed. But despite being depressed he remains hopeful he will recover so he can get back to work
'BREAK THE SILENCE'
That's the message of the Scottish comedian who turned his experience of stalking and sexual abuse into a hit Netflix show
A PLACE OF HOPE AND HEALING
Damaged people and abused dogs find a safe haven and a chance to start again at this farm in the Cape Winelands
FROM SPERM DONOR TO DAD OF 37
Peter Ellenstein's life took an unexpected turn when a message from a daughter he never knew he had led to him meeting dozens of his children and exploring what it means to be a father without ever having raised them
GRATEFUL FOR EVERY BREATH
A double lung transplant has given this chef a second chance at life - and he'll never forget the young man who made it possible
THE GAMES ARE GO!
Preparations are well under way in the City of Lights for the world's greatest sporting spectacle
MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT
We break down what the new rules are and what to expect for the seventh national elections later this month
TOM'S A TOP GIFTER
He's known to go ALL OUT for his movies and stunts, so it's no surprise TOM CRUISE also PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS for his friends when it comes to GIFTS
TAMING THE BEAST
Recognising and managing your anger can make for a happier and healthier you