South African Police Gun Down Zimbabwean Armed Robber
A Zimbabwean armed robber was killed, and his two accomplices sustained gunshot wounds following a shootout with security agents on Wednesday after a robbery in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng province, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
SAPS claimed that the trio opened fire after being cornered while counting their loot in a rented room.
The police said the Zimbabweans were subdued by officers from SAPS and a security company in the early hours of Thursday this week. SAPS said:
An investigation is underway following a business robbery at Elukwatini in the early hours of this morning, Wednesday November 6, 2024 at about 0130am.
Members of SAPS from Elukwatini in collaboration with a private security company responded to the robbery incident and in the process, the three suspects, Zimbabwean nationals, were reportedly shot, a matter subject to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate probe. One succumbed, while two others sustained some injuries.
According to the statement, SAPS received a tip-off about a robbery in progress at a local filling station at Nhlazatshe Crossings.
Upon arriving at the scene, they learned that the suspects had fled with cash, cigarettes, and betting vouchers.
A follow-up investigation led the police and their counterparts to a rented room where the suspects were cornered.
SAPS Mpumalanga provincial spokesperson Captain Magonseni Nkosi said:
It was in this place where the three were cornered and we are informed that they were still counting the cash believed to have been stolen during the said business robbery.
Instead of complying, the suspects fired some shots from inside the room and police had no option, but to fire back while moving into the room.
Nkosi said the suspects were subdued, with one dying from gunshot wounds. The police recovered an undisclosed amount of cash and a firearm. The identity of the deceased is being investigated.
The other two suspects, now receiving medical treatment under police guard, are expected to appear at the Elukwatini Magistrates Court soon.
Nkosi added that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate will investigate the shooting incident for transparency and fairness, as SAPS members were involved.
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