Nathaniel Julies, the teenager who was killed by police late last month, was honoured by his community in a memorial service held on Thursday.
The 16-year-old Julies was killed by police officers for allegedly refusing to answer their questions. Julies suffered from Down syndrome and his family say this is the reason he couldn’t co-operate with the police. He had gone out to buy biscuits when he was accosted by the police. After he had been shot the police took him to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, where he died.
Julies’s death led to violent protests in his community of Eldorado Park. Three policemen have subsequently been arrested for his killing.
On Thursday a memorial service was held for Julies. According to News24 a number of speakers expressed their outrage at how Julies had died. Pastor Marcus Jacobs was quoted as saying: ‘We want law and order to return. Order must return to this community. We must value little Nathaniel’s life.’