Two suspects, wanted in connection with a mass shooting, have been killed following a gun battle in St Faiths Road in Highflats on Tuesday.
Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda said officers had been following up on intelligence when they spotted a vehicle fitting the suspects’ vehicle.
“Police signalled for the driver of the vehicle to stop but instead of obeying lawful orders, the suspects fired shots at police officers and the police were left with no other option but to return fire in self-defence,” Netshiunda said.
He said two suspects and a woman inside the car were fatally wounded.
“A rifle and a police issued pistol were found in possession of the suspects. The operation in continuing in search of another suspect who narrowly escaped arrest on foot,” he said.
Last month, seven relatives from the Khambule family were gunned down, execution style in Highflats’s Goxa area.
At the time, reported that several spent cartridges were found at the scene. Police also clarified the ages of the deceased; three women aged 35, 38, and 55 years old, and a 48-year-old man as well as three children aged 5, 11 and 12.
Speaking from the scene, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said there were a total of 25 bullets used. There were 18 spent cartridges and seven bullet heads found at the crime scene.
“As police, we are convinced that this was an execution. It was planned,” he said.
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