Deadly week for KZN: 3 suspects killed in police shoot-out

Three suspects who were wanted for at least 10 cases of murder were shot dead in a shoot-out with police at KwaDlangezwa area in Empangeni, northern KZN, in the early hours of this morning.

KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda says the provincial stabilisation team, which also forms part of Operation Vala uMgodi, operationalised intelligence about the suspects who were hiding at a house in KwaDlangezwa.

He adds that when the police announced their presence, the suspects opened fire, sparking a shoot-out that ended with the three suspects fatally wounded.

“The suspects, who were also alleged to have been involved in the ATM bombing incident in Esikhaleni that left one suspect fatally wounded on Thursday, were found in possession of at least two firearms.

“The crime scene was yet to be properly searched for more exhibits,” explains Netshiunda.

KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi reiterates that criminals who shoot at the police should expect the same kind of response.

“Police officers have a mandate to arrest and bring perpetrators to justice, however, if police find themselves under gunfire, the only option they have in order to come out alive is through the return of fire,” adds Mkhwanazi.

Four other suspects shot dead this week

Yesterday, The Witness reported that an ATM bombing suspect was arrested while another was shot dead in a shoot-out with police in Esikhaleni, near Richards Bay, yesterday morning.

A firearm was found in their possession and police were searching the nearby sugarcane farm where other suspects ran into as they escaped arrest.

While on Tuesday night, three suspects who were wanted for a string of murders, including the 2023 murder of a police sergeant, were shot dead in a shoot-out with police in the Congo area of Inanda, Durban.