Five suspects have been fatally wounded following a shoot-out with police in Ntuzuma in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday morning.
Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said police, acting on intelligence, traced the suspects to Lindelani and when they arrived, they found a group of suspects sitting in two cars.
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"Information at hand indicated that the suspects were planning to commit a business robbery in KwaMashu," he said.
Netshiunda said the suspects' two vehicles were parked at the corner of Mdubu and Melusi streets and it is suspected that the suspects had a disagreement which led to shots being fired among themselves. Police stumbled upon the altercation, prompting the suspects to turn their guns on the officers, who then retaliated.
"During the shootout, four suspects were shot and fatally wounded. A search in the vicinity of the crime scene led to the discovery of the body of the fifth suspect who had attempted to flee and had sustained gunshot wounds. The suspects were found in possession of three firearms. No police officer was injured during the shootout," he said.
Netshiunda said the fifth suspect is believed to have dropped his firearm as he entered the stream.
Netshiunda said police found a magazine near the river however, they are still searching for the firearm.
Two more suspects who were injured when the suspects shot each other were located at a hospital. A search is underway for the suspects who evaded arrest.
Netshiunda said at this stage, police have established that two suspects, from Wentworth, were previously arrested for business and house robberies.
Crime stats
Delivering the latest crime statistics last week, police minister Senzo Mchunu said for the third quarter, all provinces recorded a decrease in murder cases, marking a significant milestone in our national crime reduction efforts.
"However, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal remain the highest contributors to overall national murder figures, accounting for 0% and 21.4% respectively, followed by the Eastern Cape at 18.9% and the Western Cape at 17.4%," he said.
IOL