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Picture courtesy: (Briefly News) In separate incidents in KwaZulu-Natal, six suspects were fatally shot by the police.
(The Post News)– In fierce confrontations with police officers during the early hours of Thursday, six suspects were shot dead in Emachobeni, Mariahill, and Camperdown. The KwaZulu-Natal police had acted on intelligence regarding the whereabouts of these suspects, who were wanted for a series of crimes, including house robberies, murders, business robberies, and carjackings.
Upon arriving at the targeted house, the SAPS officers were met with a hail of bullets from the suspects. In retaliation, the officers fired back, resulting in six suspects being fatally wounded. Additionally, three more suspects—a 31-year-old woman and two men—were arrested. During the operation, one police officer sustained a minor graze wound in the hand.
According to SAPS spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Brigadier Jay Naicker, “a group of officers from different units, including the Hawks, obtained information about the suspect’s location. Upon announcing their arrival at the specified house, the officers were met with a barrage of bullets from the suspects. In response, the officers fired back, resulting in four suspects being fatally wounded. The suspects were found to be in possession of three firearms.”
The suspects were found in possession of two rifles and a shotgun, as well as a vehicle that had been hijacked in December 2023. Police Minister Bheki Cele is expected to visit the scene in Emachobeni.
In another incident, the police officers affiliated with the National Intervention Unit (NIU) acted upon gathered intelligence and apprehended two suspects wanted for intimidation, extortion, and other violent offenses. Naicker said when the police confronted the suspects at their hideout in the Klaarwater Hostel, located in Marianhill, the officers, who were asserting the authority of the state, “During the exchange of gunfire, two suspects were fatally wounded, and the police recovered two firearms from their possession,’ he stated.
Furthermore, Naicker emphasized that individuals who defy the authority of the state by firing at the police will face a response commensurate with their actions. According to Colonel Robert Netshiuda, the KZN police spokesperson, the confrontation unfolded during the early hours before dawn in Camperdown, a town within the province. Specific details regarding the nature of the crimes linked to the suspects remain undisclosed, but the presence of Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at the crime scene underscores the gravity of the situation and highlights the investigation’s significance.
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