Prominent attorney William Booth survives alleged assassination attempt

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Cape Town - Fear is stalking the corridors of the judiciary and police precincts after Cape Town criminal attorney William Booth survived an alleged attempt on his life on Thursday morning. Several shots were fired at the home of the well-known criminal attorney, who deals with high-profile cases. According to SAPS spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut, two armed suspects wearing surgical masks fired shots at the victim, but missed their target. "They fled the scene and are yet to be arrested," Traut said. "The circumstances surrounding an attempted murder are under police investigation following an incident at the Higgovale residence of a lawyer at around 7:30am." "Despite numerous attempts to contact Mr Booth, he hasn't responded to any enquiries." Reagen Allen, MPL and DA Western Cape community safety spokesperson, condemned the attack on Booth: "An attack on a member of a legal fraternity is an attack on the entire criminal justice system."

Allen called on the police to investigate the shooting in order to bring those responsible to book.

The shooting comes five months after Cape Town lawyer Vernon Jantjies was gunned down last December. Jantjies, who dealt with high-profile cases, was shot execution-style.

On November 7, 2016, prominent attorney Noorudien Hassan was shot in his car outside his home in Lansdowne.

City lawyer Pete Mihalik was gunned down in October 2018 after dropping off his children at Reddam House Atlantic Seaboard School in Green Point.

In May last year, criminal attorney David Mbazwana was shot dead at a spaza shop in Khayelitsha in what looked like a robbery.

In February, an attempt was made on the life of 53-year-old lawyer Jakes van der Merwe, who was ambushed while in his vehicle outside his Gardens home.

The suspect, who is a white male, fired two shots at his victim from a seated position in his vehicle, wounding him in the neck, police said.

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