Nov 10, 2009 8:06 AM | By Staff reporter
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Three-year-old Atlegang Aphane was sitting inside a car with his father and uncle in Rabie Ridge, Midrand, on Saturday when police mistook the men for suspects they had been chasing.
According to the Sowetan, police opened fired when they mistook a pipe the toddler was holding for a gun.
A witness told the newspaper the police had arrived on the scene in private cars and were not in uniform.
The tragic incident is the latest in a string of botched police shootings which has resulted in the death of innocent civilians.
> Read the full story on Sowetan Online
A police officer in South Africa has allegedly shot dead a three year old boy after he reportedly thought the child was holding a gun. According to reports, Atlegang Aphane, aged three, was travelling in a car being driven by suspected criminals when he was shot by the policeman, who reportedly thought that a pipe the child was carrying was a firearm.

Spokesman Moses Dlamini from the Independent Complaints Directorate said to the BBC that no pipe or firearm had been found in the car. The family of the victim also released a statement saying the police officer showed “no remorse” for the shooting. The officer in question remains in custody after being charged with murder. 

The South African Police Commission has condemned the shooting. South African President Jacob Zuma had previously said he wants the police to “get tough” with criminals, but not to be “trigger-happy”.