Five things you need to know about the Reiger Park shooting accused’s bail bid

The three men accused of being involved in the August 7 Reiger Park shooting of two police constables and two women will know the fate of their bail application on September 23 as the state opposes their release.

The bail hearing of Regan Collis, 23, Jamal Meyer, 24, and Elvino Crawford, 27, for the killing of Roleen Lessing, Jayden Magerman, Const Thapelo Tomatsane and Const Siphiwe Sibeko, continued before the Boksburg magistrate’s court on Tuesday.

They are accused of four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, and charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Here is what you need to know about their appearance on Tuesday

• Defence lawyer Samkele Kuzani argued that the state’s case against his clients appeared to rely heavily on circumstantial evidence.
• He said the state was attempting to place Collis and the other accused at the scene partly because the shooting occurred near Collis’s home.
• Kuzani also challenged the state’s description of Collis as a “well-known gangster”, arguing that previous charges against him had been withdrawn.
• The defence argued that Collis wouldn’t have killed the women, as he grew up with them, and that he helped the investigator trace guns stolen from deceased police officers.
• However, the state opposed bail for all three, arguing that Collis made a confession which led to the rifles being recovered. The state also alleged that Collis made threats to witnesses.

Sowetan