Traffic officer shot dead in Walmer, PE in apparent hit

A traffic officer was shot dead at an intersection in Walmer, Port Elizabeth, on Tuesday morning in what is suspected to be a hit.

The 60-year-old man was shot on the corner of Lungelo Mlandu Street and Victoria Drive as he waited his turn to access the main road, Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said.

A gunman wearing a balaclava had approached the officer on the driver’s side and fired several shots at him.

Naidu confirmed the officer was hit twice – in the neck and cheek – while his passenger was shot in the hand.

“The driver accelerated and turned left into Victoria Drive, hitting a vehicle before careering off the road. [He] hit a boundary fence and the vehicle came to a standstill,” she said.

When the officer got out of the vehicle, he collapsed and died.

The passenger, a municipality employee, was taken to hospital for treatment.

The gunman fled on foot.

Naidu said a case of murder and attempted murder were being investigated.

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