Police in KwaZulu-Natal have shot dead two suspects following a shoot-out in Empangeni on Monday.
Police were conducting a routine patrol when they noticed a white bakkie, parked at a sugar cane field along the Old Mtubatuba Road. When the officers approached the vehicle, the occupants fired at police who shot back.
"After the shoot-out, two suspects were found to have sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Two firearms and several rounds of ammunition were found in their possession," said provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
He said investigations so far have revealed that the vehicle had been stolen in a house robbery in KwaMsane on Friday, November 15.
"Further investigations also found out that the two suspects had warrants of arrest issued against them in connection with cases of murder. No police officer was injured during the shoot-out," Netshiunda said.
Meanwhile, also in Empangeni, four suspects have been arrested in connection with a spate of house robberies in KwaMsane, Hlabisa, Mtubatuba, Empangeni, Richards Bay and Esikhaleni.
Netshiunda said at the weekend, the suspects went into a house at Mazimazana area in Empangeni and forced the victims into one house, and at gunpoint, they forced one victim to transfer an undisclosed amount of money from her business account to theirs. During their arrest, police found them in possession of three firearms and ammunition.
"The suspects, aged between 30 and 39-years-old, will appear in the Empangeni Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 on charges of house robbery and possession of unlicensed firearms. More charges could be added as investigations unfold," he said.
IOL News