Lavender Hill shooting: forensic service says material was coagulated blood

Anti-Gang Unit detectives are investigating a shooting that left five people dead and three wounded at a home in Blode Street, Lavender Hill.

An internal investigation by the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness’s Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) has refuted claims that human brain tissue was left behind by crime scene technicians following a deadly mass shooting in Lavender Hill.

The forensic service confirmed that biological material collected and preserved by a grieving family in their domestic refrigerator was examined by a forensic pathologist and determined to be coagulated blood, not human brain tissue.

The medical findings follow a public outcry sparked by ActionSA Member of Parliament and Cape Town mayoral candidate Dereleen James.

In a video statement circulated on social media, James accused the South African Police Service (SAPS) and forensic officials of gross negligence, alleging that pieces of a victim's brain were left scattered on the scene after law enforcement had cleared the area.

This stems from a fatal attack in Blode Street, Lavender Hill, where gunmen opened fire on a residence, killing five people—four men and one woman aged between 21 and 33—and wounding three others in what police suspect was gang-related violence.

Responding to media inquiries, the Department of Health’s FPS extended condolences to the bereaved families and revealed that personnel were forced to operate under severe duress on the night of the incident.

FPS spokesperson Khayakazi Matanda said: "FPS can confirm that officials conducted a thorough examination and photographic documentation of the areas where the deceased were located at the Blode Street crime scene.” 

"Officials were operating under extremely volatile conditions, with ongoing gunfire in close proximity to personnel, and a final walkthrough and inspection of the area was conducted before they departed,” she said.

Matanda stressed that an internal review did not support allegations of neglected human tissue or brain matter.

"Material that was subsequently recovered from the scene and handed to officials by family members was examined by a forensic pathologist and confirmed to be coagulated blood rather than human brain tissue," Matanda added.

Matanda  also clarified the strict limits of their operational mandate, noting that while technicians document, examine, and remove human remains and relevant evidentiary samples, they are not a hazardous biohazard cleaning service.

"The cleaning and decontamination of crime scenes fall outside the FPS mandate and become the responsibility of the appropriate parties once the forensic investigation has been completed and the scene formally released," she said.

Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) detectives continue their hunt for the gunmen responsible for the quintuple murder, with police offering a R100,000 reward for information leading to their arrest and successful prosecution.