A young boy was shot during an argument between a taxi driver, an occupant in his vehicle and an ADT security official in the Cape Town CBD on Friday afternoon.

The boy, aged about 10, was walking on the city’s busy Lower Plein Street, where thousands of commuters walk to their trains and buses, and vendors sell their wares.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut said the boy was shot and wounded when a firearm was discharged during an altercation between the three men.

It was alleged that the taxi and the security vehicle collided. A fight ensued.

“The child was walking towards the ice cream shop when he was shot,” said a woman, pointing to the Plaza Takeaways nearby.

A minibus taxi and an ADT vehicle were parked inside the cordoned-off area while crime scene investigators and police officers collected evidence and statements.

Ambulances raced to the scene and traffic was turned away from that section of Lower Plein Street running between Darling and Strand streets.