Police confirm last year’s Pretoria hostage drama ended in suicide

Questions have been cleared up about the death of the shooter in a hostage drama east of Pretoria last year, reports the Pretoria East Rekord.

RECAP THE STORY HERE: All the details on the Pretoria hostage drama

Danie Small had indeed committed suicide, police said this week.

Small went on a rampage after a fight about a wall with a neighbour.

This led to a 10-hour hostage situation at the Meadows Estate Complex in Moreleta Park last October.

Small shot three people dead from the roof of his unit and held five security officers hostage.

Afterwards, he was found dead with bullet wounds in his home.

Lyttelton police Captain Dave Miller said police could now confirm Small suffered self-inflicted wounds.

“Preliminary investigations determined that Small had self-inflicted gunshot wounds. We [police] wanted to wait for further investigations in order to corroborate our facts.”

Miller said an autopsy validated the preliminary finding.

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Miller said he would like to believe this was the end of the probe, but more findings were pending from ballistics tests.

“Should we not find any murder links to Small’s guns, they will be handed over to the estate or destroyed.”

Miller thanked officers who had worked with determination to get to the bottom of the drama.

“Police want to applaud the Meadows residents for their patience during the lengthy negotiation phase during the hostages situation,” he said.

“It is always unpleasant, but it is necessary.”

The three people shot dead on that day were caretaker Edward Gobey and residents Jannie Earl and Hannes van der Zwaard.

– Caxton News Service

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