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I was the better shot'
06/02/2007 12:39  - (SA)  

Liela Magnus, Beeld

Johannesburg - Theuns Manning, an area manager of the security company Afri-Services, has told how he shot two armed robbers on Saturday morning.

The robbers shot first and when he returned fire, "I aimed to hit them. They wanted to shoot me, but unfortunately for them, I was the better shot." The incident happened during an international race at the Zwartkops racing track.

Edwin Reynolds, 30, a member of the Tshwane metro police, and Deon Smit, a motor sport enthusiast, were wounded during the armed robbery.

Reynolds was admitted to Unitas Hospital in Centurion.

Elna van den Berg, a spokesperson for the hospital, said Reynolds was still in a serious but stable condition. He could be paralysed as a result of the shooting.

Smit's wife, Petru, said her husband's one kidney was functioning again after it had failed as a result of the gun wound. They were still waiting for reports about his other organs.

Manning said he was standing behind a container when he saw Smit being shot. When he walked around the container, the robbers opened fire on him.

"They shot at me, but one of their AK-47s jammed and that gave me time to return fire. The robbers didn't know where the shots were coming from and they scrambled for the bakkie," said Manning.

He shot two of the robbers while they were getting onto the bakkie. The bakkie drove over the legs of a third robber who had slipped while trying to get into the bakkie's cabin.

His accomplices picked him up and they fled.

Reynolds was shot at the gate.

"I shot back in self-defence. I was protecting myself, the man who had already been shot and the other spectators."

Manning said people don't know when they're allowed to shoot and that there should be a better interpretation of the law for the benefit of ordinary people.

Two getaway cars were later recovered.

The police also found blood and fingerprints. No arrests have been made.