Detective shot dead, two cops wounded in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal

A suspect has been arrested following the killing of a South African Police Service (SAPS) detective in Gauteng, while two constables in KwaZulu-Natal are in hospital after being shot, the SAPS said on Sunday 1 March.

A police detective attached to Garsfontein SAPS in Gauteng was allegedly killed by the suspect he and his two colleagues were arresting on a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH) at about 10:30 on Saturday, Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said in a statement.

Detective shot with his own firearm

“It is reported that three detectives from SAPS Garsfontein followed up on information regarding the suspect who was wanted on a case of assault GBH. On arrival at the corner of Garsfontein and Rubenstein roads, the members approached the suspect who then started pelting the police with stones.

“On trying to apprehend the suspect, he [the suspect] managed to grab one of the members’ firearm and fatally shot him. The other members managed to retaliate, resulting in the suspect being shot and wounded,” Naidu said. 

Suspect in hospital after shoot-out

The suspect was currently in hospital under police guard after the shoot-out with police. He would appear in court on charges of murder and two counts of attempted murder as soon as he was medically fit to do so, he said.

National police commissioner Lieutenant General Khehla John Sitole condemned the incident and called on the detectives to ensure that justice prevailed in this matter.

“The detectives that were with the deceased member must be commended for applying the necessary force to apprehend the man that allegedly attacked them and subsequently killed the detective constable,” Sitole said.

Cop in critical condition after Richards Bay shooting

In an unrelated incident in the early hours of Sunday morning, shortly after midnight, three constables were patrolling in the vicinity of the Esakhaleni Shopping Centre in Richards Bay when they were shot at. Two officers were wounded and the third was unharmed.

One of the constables, a woman, was in a critical condition after sustaining gunshot wounds to her face and abdomen. No arrests had yet been made in this incident, Naidu said.

Members of the public were encouraged to send crime tip-offs on the MySAPS APP or to call the SAPS Crime Stop number on ‪086-00-10111‬. All information received would be treated in confidence.

— By African News Agency (ANA), editing by Jacques Keet