S. African child allegedly shot by police

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Police in Johannesburg, South Africa, allegedly shot and killed a 3-year-old boy, thinking a pipe he had was a gun, officials said.

The toddler, Atlegang Aphane, was in a car with his father and uncle, who were mistaken for suspects being pursued by police, the Sowetan reported Tuesday.

"The officer who shot my son showed no remorse. He was busy eating a lollipop. I approached him and asked why he killed my son, but he looked at me as if I was crazy," the child's mother, Mapule Aphane, 29, said.

"When (police) approached the car, they saw the boy holding a pipe and allegedly opened fire. The boy was killed instantly," Moses Dlamini, an Independent Complaints Directorate spokesman, said, adding investigators couldn't find the pipe.

A constable with the Alexandra police station, identified only as Malaka, was being held in the shooting and appeared in Thembisa magistrate's court Monday. He was to appear Wednesday for a bail application.

Lately, police have been following orders to use deadly force where necessary, the Sowetan said.