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On 5 January 2021, Julie Edwards' life changed forever. Her 16-year-old son was shot dead in a tragic gun incident. She writes about her frustration about how the police handled the case initially and how she and her family have managed to cope through the love and support of family and community.
My story is devastating, a life-shattering trauma and tragedy that should not have happened. Something that shouldn't happen to anyone. But it happened. It happened to my son. It happened to me and to my family and to a community. It changed everything, for everyone, forever.
Eighteen months later, as I look back at what has been the most terrible, terrible time anyone could endure, there have been these beacons of light that have carried us this far. Even during the darkest hours of despair, there have been these lights of hope.
On 5 January 2021, I took my 16-year-old son, Josh, to visit a new school friend not far from where we live. The friend had lots of pets, some exotic. Josh loved animals, so much so he'd been a vegetarian from the age of 12.
I met the friend and another boy, chatted to the friend's mom before leaving with the intention of fetching Josh before dinner. But dinner didn't happen.
As I took the ingredients out of the fridge, I received a call. A call that changed everything. A call that nobody should receive. A call that froze time, shattered our lives, and changed the world we once knew.
Less than three hours after dropping Josh off for an innocent playdate, he was dead.
READ | Joshua Edwards killing: Testimony in court lends credence to complaint against investigating officer
Moments after putting one of the pets back in its cage, Josh was shot with a shotgun at close range, allegedly by the person he was visiting.
The hours, days and weeks that followed were chaos.
The police did everything we should have expected from Police Minister Beki Cele's team. They arrived four hours later. The investigating officer opened a murder docket, established the guns had not been in a safe for months, if not years, spoke to the shooter, who told him he'd shot Josh, and that, was pretty much that.
Surely, the officer needed statements, surely, he needed to investigate SOMETHING. Surely, the shooter and his father should be arrested. But no.
The investigating officer reluctantly came to see us three weeks later. Witnesses had since come forward - minors. Teenage kids who had been friends with accused number one, and with Josh, kids who had spoken to their parents and felt they needed to give their statements.
Josh had been killed and they wanted to speak up. It could have been them. It could have been anyone.
The investigating officer entered our house, rolled his eyes, and while constantly checking the time, reluctantly took statements from the teenagers accompanied by a parent, and eventually from myself, Josh's father, Tim, and the other adults who had been to that property that day.
Defeated
Following Josh's death, my daughter was sent a photo of the accused, holding a shotgun to his chin and a pistol to his head. The photo had a time stamp of March 2020. We gave this to the officer, but he didn't feel it was important.
There had been another boy on the accused's property when I dropped Josh off. We gave the officer the boy's details, his parents details, phone numbers and address.
Maybe this boy knew something … maybe the police officer should phone him or his parents and ask some questions, they didn't live far, maybe the police could go and speak to them, but again, NO.
The officer checked the time, rolled his eyes, and left, leaving the picture on our dining room table, and muttering something about Covid and this case going no further. We were defeated. We couldn't believe what had just happened. Our precious child was dead.
A murder docket was opened. Teenage children came forward to state that they'd allegedly had loaded guns handed to them and pointed at them by the shooter since Grade 8. The shooter and his parents allegedly had guns lying around that property for years and never bothered to lock the guns in a safe, ever.Our son was dead, but this was not worth the warrant officer's time.
The next morning, I looked at Tim and asked him, how many other families does this happen to? How many children are killed in South Africa? How many moms and dads are out there, wondering what happened and left feeling like their child didn't matter enough for the police to act?
An innocent child, a son, twin, big brother, cousin, grandson, nephew, and friend had been taken. This story wasn't ending here, not like this, it couldn't. If Bheki Cele's team with badges weren't going to do what they are paid to do, we'd do it ourselves.
Private forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan interviewed the third boy and his father, who were present when Josh was killed.
The contents of their statements were explosive, to say the least. But O'Sullivan's work was disregarded by the investigating officer and his captain and was not added to the docket.
They also disregarded the fact the owner of the firearm had multiple criminal records, dating back to 1979, including reckless driving, theft and common assault and should not have been allowed to obtain a firearm licence in 2011. Surely, such a person is a danger to society?
READ | 'There is nothing, he’s gone': Devastated mom of teen allegedly shot by friend tells of day he died
Standing up to this travesty of justice is close to impossible, especially when you have just lost your precious son. Trying to hold yourself together, trying to parent your devastated daughters, trying to simply survive, one moment at a time. So, how do you get up and do anything other than breathe? How do you take your daughters back to school without their brother, walk his twin into school without him…? How do you refuse to accept that he died in vain and demand a change? You can't. Not alone. You need an army.
Josh was 16 years old and had his whole life ahead of him. He was looking forward to Grade 11 and matric, learning to drive and getting a car. He was the boy with the big heart. He was the kind of son any parent would wish for. He loved his sisters and was protective and kind. Kindness and love came naturally to Josh who touched lives and made the world a better place. He was loved beyond measure, and he projected light, love and joy wherever he went.
Losing Josh was and is inexplainable and we will never get over this nor understand why this happened to Josh. Josh didn't deserve this, nobody deserves this. But Josh's story didn't end here, and our story won't end here.
Despite the darkness and the sorrow, there was somehow always a light. A light we couldn't deny nor escape.
There WAS an army. There was an army that fulfilled so many roles, right from that moment when our world turned black. As we lay in the deepest ditches of despair, they were there. Right from the beginning. There was this endless army of real-life angels.
When we collapsed, they lay and cried with us and when we were ready, they helped us to our feet. We were offered love, guidance, expert advice, and everything in between.
Eighteen months later, I can honestly say, they gave us no deadline. They weren't going anywhere, and the army has only got bigger and stronger. The statements and work done by O'Sullivan had been disregarded and the police weren't taking our calls. So where to?
Case moved to provincial office
A neighbour, an unsuspecting ally, put together a team of the community's best and finest minds, which came up with a plan. The case was moved from Olievenhoutbosch police station to an investigator from the provincial office.
They set up appointments with attorneys so we could appoint a watching brief attorney to guide us forward. They compiled a campaign, Justice for Josh, #J4J, by designing artwork, logos, statements and preparing everything we needed to get our story out there.
The newly appointed investigating officer included the statements taken by O'Sullivan, re-interviewed the witnesses and compiled a solid case which was presented to the NPA. After a thorough investigation, the father and son duo were charged with multiple offences, including murder, recklessness, possession of an illegal firearm, failing to store a firearm in a safe, pointing a firearm, defeating the ends of justice, and eventually brought before court.
The 17-year-old accused was assessed by the children's court and stated he took no responsibility for what he did, and the State made the decision that he would be tried alongside his father.
While the wheels of justice were slowly starting to turn, it didn't take away the sorrow, grief and pain of losing a beautiful child. Such horrendous circumstances, cause wounds to be constantly ripped open. We've faced the accused in court. We've listened to them take absolutely no responsibility for what they did to Josh while showing absolutely no remorse.
We watched accused number one flick through the evidence, which included pictures of Josh, taken that night, and not flinch. We listened to accused number two explain, with no emotion, how he threw a towel over Josh's face after entering the room. But as we sat in this dark court room, there was again, this undeniable warm light surrounding us.
Honourable police members
The light sat next to us and behind us and was outside the court when we stepped out and broke down. When I took the stand and a defence attorney attempted to discredit me, and the other witnesses, I was met with eyes of compassion and encouragement from the prosecutor and our watching brief.
The witnesses who took the stand on behalf of the State, were heroic. They spoke about the guns that had been lying around that property for years. One of the boys testified a revolver was pointed at his face. The child who was at the house on 5 January, testified the shotgun was first pointed at him by the accused only moments before the shooter allegedly pointed it at Josh and pulled the trigger.
We learned there are some honourable members of the police who are a credit to this country. One of them had attended the scene on 5 January. He was Forensic Detective Englebrecht.
He diligently collected evidence, requested to see the safe and took photos of it covered in cobwebs. He took the stand on behalf of the State and presented an undisputed, solid testimony. He explained how the accused had told him he'd removed the guns from the safe that morning but changed his version when the cobwebs were discovered.
He explained how he had requested to swab the shooter's hands for gunshot residue, but the then-17-year-old claimed to have taken a shower, while his father claimed his son had taken a swim, so either way, his hands had been washed.
Over the past 18 months, I've joined various support groups, met with counsellors, and read books. I've spoken to people who have lost children and loved ones, heard stories, and been warned that child loss changes you, which it does, and not everybody around you likes it.
Many grieving parents lose friends. Family members distance themselves as they carry on with their normal life. But this hasn't happened to us. Our circle of love and light has simply grown bigger and stronger. The people around us are warriors that walk this road with us. They haven't stopped visiting us, loving, guiding and supporting us through our terrible loss. This loving army is what carries us and keeps us going.
Josh didn't die in vain. This mission will change something in this country. Irresponsible firearm owners will be sent a clear message. Abide by the South African Firearms Act or face the consequences. This shouldn't happen to our children. They should be protected when visiting a friend's home. We live in a country where most of us know people who own firearms, but if my friends are anything like yours, they are highly responsible firearm owners.
Let's ask each other those questions. Just like we would ask if a home had a pool net when are kids are young, let's ask the people welcoming our kids into their home, if they have guns, and if they do have guns, where are they kept.
Let's be open
Let's talk openly with our kids and tell them that not everyone is what they appear to be at face value, and we don't see the dangers lurking behind closed doors.
It's never OK for a family to have a gun anywhere other than on the firearm owner, or locked away in a safe, that nobody can access. I want to call upon ALL schools to get on board. Just like a school's host talks around the dangers of drugs, and social media, talk to the children within your school about the dangers of guns. It starts here and it starts with us.
As I write this, we are a few weeks away from the next court date, where the prosecutor and defence attorney will argue their cases. From there, the judge will make a decision. I have faith in the NPA. I have faith in the prosecutor who has worked tirelessly preparing for this case. But no matter the outcome in court, we won't stop here.
There isn't a single day I don't wake up and cry, nor a moment that my heart does not ache for my son, and I wish I could wake up from this nightmare, but we will march forward in honour of Josh. We will march with our army of warriors that carry love and light, like Josh did, and we are only just getting started. We will make a change and it WILL save lives.
- Julie Edwards is the mother of Josh Edwards.
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