[imagesource:facebook/Stephan Griesel]

A Mpumalanga family is mourning the tragic and unwarranted death of their dearest Megan Griesel who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time during a robbery.

Megan went out with friends in Lydenburg on Saturday, October 21, and made one final phone call to her father to tell him that she was on her way home but, sadly, she never made it.

News24 reported that her father Stephan Griesel knew immediately that his daughter’s life could be in danger when he suddenly heard several gunshots ring out in the area about “500 metres from their house”.

“I immediately got into my car and went looking for her because I could no longer reach her on the phone. I was extremely worried because she should have been home by then,” Stephan told News24.

Rushing to her side, Stephan found his 20-year-old daughter’s lifeless body behind the steering wheel of their bakkie, which was still idling.

“At least 27 bullet holes hit the bakkie. It completely broke me,” he said.

Megan had been on her way home when she drove past a robbery taking place at the nearby petrol station.

Image: Facebook

Security footage from Lydenburg Convenience Engen Garage, near The Heads Shopping Complex, shows about 10 armed suspects jumping off a white Isuzu single-cab bakkie at the filling station.

The suspects robbed the Quest cashiers at gunpoint, per Lowveld Media, and while they were doing so, they spotted Griesel’s vehicle and started shooting at it. After that, the suspects also broke into Checkers Liquor at The Heads and stole various boxes of alcohol.

Stephan said his daughter’s life meant more than the money the gang robbed on the night.

“She wanted to pursue something in administration. We wanted to open a tourism business, and she wanted to run the administration side of things. We had wanted to do it for many years, but now we will never be able to do it,” he said.

“Everyone loved her and cared for her. Like one of her friends told us, ‘God saw that Megan was too good for this world.’ God came to fetch one of his angels.”

He said this unjustifiable death has been really hard on the whole family:

“This is something we never expected to happen. We were all very close. She was really our angel. She was extremely close with her brother and mother as well. I am going to miss her dearly.”

One can only imagine what this family are going through. Our hearts go out to them.

[source:news24]