Two at large after magistrate court shooting
Two armed men are at large after they shot and injured two people in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
Two armed men shot and wounded two people in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning, police said.
Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Khensani Magoai said the shooters were due to appear in court on charges of house robbery. They wounded a police officer and a court orderly.
“Two suspects… came out of the holding cells into the court with firearms and started shooting. A court orderly was slightly injured and the police officer who came to testify was seriously wounded,” she said.
Paramedics said one man was in a critical condition. “He sustained a gunshot wound to his head and is in a critical but stable condition,” said Emer-G-Med spokesperson Braam Kruger.
Magoai said the two attackers escaped and hijacked a Ford Icon outside the court building. “They abandoned the vehicle in Atteridgeville and then hijacked a red Polo. They will be charged with attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and hijacking.”
A witness who was inside the court during the shooting, said a man started shooting at the police officer, who was in the witness box.
“I sat inside the court in the front seat and the accused was also there in the court. Suddenly, he pulled out a gun and shot the witness, a policeman. Another shot hit the court orderly on the side of his body. We all started to run out,” said the witness who asked not to be named.
She could not say whether one or two men fired the shots, but she saw two men running out.
“As I was running out, two men were behind me. The other one was running with the man that fired the shots. I just ran in the opposite direction. I was dead scared and I’m still scared. How did an accused person get hold of a gun? It’s clearly no longer safe, even in the court,” she said.
Police were by early afternoon still searching for the suspects.
“Two court orderlies shot by suspects about to appear in Pretoria Mag Court, paramedics on scene, getaway car found Atteridgeville,” police said in a tweet on Twitter.
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Watch the video below to see the choas outside the court shortly after the shooting.
Watch the video below for an eyewitness account of the shooting
Also read:
Two shot in magistrate’s court
