A Durban policeman was shot dead on Thursday morning, apparently accidentally, by a man seeking revenge against two suspects the policeman had arrested.
Spokesperson Superintendent Muzi Mngomezulu confirmed the shooting, but declined to give details as police were expected to issue a statement shortly.
It seems that 48-year-old Inspector Zakhele Nxumalo of the organised crime unit was shot as he was driving away from the house of the two suspects in Dube Village in Durban’s Inanda area.
Sources said a man who had been held up by the two suspects fired randomly at the unmarked police cars, including the Nissan Almera that Nxumalo was driving, as they left the suspects’ house.
The two suspects had been arrested in connection with a heist that took place on Monday.
Police believe the man responsible for the shooting is a 52-year-old man who had been the victim of hijacking and had come seeking revenge against the two suspects.
”He was such a good policeman,” said one of Nxumalo’s colleagues, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said Nxumalo was declared dead at the scene. – Sapa