Gunfights in the Eastern Cape: Police gunfire kills Mthatha teen, suspected robbery off-duty Mqanduli cop

• Police gunfire killed an off-duty police officer and a teenager at a boarding school in separate incidents in the Eastern Cape
• A sergeant reportedly shot at police at an apparent robbery scene, while police fired warning shots as they boarded
• Police opened a judicial investigation into the Mqanduli incident and a murder case in the case of the Mthatha boarding school incident
• IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping confirmed to Briefly News that the police watchdog had caught up on the case

ZWELITSHA – An off-duty sergeant and a teenager – not criminals – were killed after police gunfire in several parts of the country. Eastern Cape on the weekend.

In Mthatha, the police are investigating the murder of an eighteen-year-old teenager in a residential area.

Police gunfire kills off-duty police officer, teenager

Reports indicate that a Excelsior School Community A Grade 12 student suffered a fatal gunshot wound after police arrived at a boarding house.

The officers reportedly fired warning shots at the scene, causing a commotion and prompting a group of boys to run outside.

In the aftermath, one of them lay dead on the ground.

“It is believed that the incident occurred in the early hours at Mabutho Street, North Crest, in Mthatha, on Sunday, November 3, 2024,” Lt Col Siphokazi Mawisa said.

“A murder case has been transferred to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) for further investigation to establish the circumstances.”

Speak with Short newsIPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said Flying Squad members raided a home during a party.

“When they arrived at the house, the residents of the house allegedly ran away and police fired shots,” Shuping said.

“One person was fatally injured in the garden of the house. The incident happened around 2 a.m. on Sunday and was reported to IPID.”

Researchers have since visited the site.

Meanwhile, police opened an inquest after an off-duty sergeant was killed during a shootout with members of the Mthatha Tactical Response Team (TRT) in Mqanduli on Sunday afternoon.

“Operationalized intelligence information on armed suspects led police to a bottle shop at the Dobe location around 4 p.m.

“When they saw the police, the suspects ran in different directions,” provincial police spokesperson Majola Nkohli said.

A suspect, near the entrance to the bottle shop, opened fire and suffered several gunshot wounds as police returned fire.

“Police have recovered an unlicensed revolver and a (continued) preliminary investigation has revealed that it was stolen in Hillbrow in 2021.

“It (later) emerged that the deceased suspect was an off-duty sergeant from the Madeira Police Station,” Nkohli said.

Source: Kort Nieuws