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A shocking incident unfolded in Mqanduli on Sunday afternoon when an off-duty police sergeant was fatally shot by members of the Tactical Response Team (TRT). According to spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli, the TRT had received intelligence about armed suspects in the area and tracked them to a bottle store in Dobe location.
Upon spotting the police, the suspects scattered in different directions, but one suspect, later identified as the off-duty police sergeant, opened fire at the entrance of the bottle store. The police retaliated, and the 42-year-old sergeant was fatally wounded. Other suspects managed to escape.
Further investigation revealed that the recovered firearm, an unlicensed revolver, had been stolen in Hillbrow in 2021. In a tragic twist, it was discovered that the deceased suspect was an off-duty police sergeant stationed at Madeira SAPS in the OR Tambo District.
The Eastern Cape police have opened an inquest docket into the incident. This is not the first time the police have been involved in a fatal shooting in the province. Previously, the police had been pursuing robbery and extortion suspects in Ngqeleni, resulting in the fatal shooting of one suspect ¹.
The Incident raises concerns about police operations and the measures in place to prevent such tragic mistakes. An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
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