Police seek second suspect in Michelle Jones murder case
Michelle Jones, the Nelspruit deputy sheriff, was shot and killed in Nelsville on the night of October 20.
Mpumalanga’s provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, has condemned the shooting and killing of Nelspruit deputy sheriff, Michelle Jones (32).
While police have arrested a 35-year-old man in connection her killing, police are searching for one more suspect.
This was confirmed in a press release from the South African Police Service, distributed by Mpumalanga spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala.
It is alleged that on Thursday night, October 20, Jones, her partner and a friend, had been parked adjacent to a shop in Nelsville at around 19:20 when the incident occurred. Lowvelder previously reported that a third person who was with them managed to flee.
The official police communication indicated that the eyewitness has since provided her recollection of what happened.
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According to the police, she confirmed that she had exited the vehicle to enter the shop when she saw two men, who were known to her, hiding behind a tree close to where the car was parked. Mohlala said that, according to this witness, they approached the vehicle in which Jones and her partner had been seated.
“One suspect was wielding a gun and immediately pulled the trigger, firing several shots towards the victim,” indicated the SAPS press release. Jones was hit multiple times, and her partner in the right arm.
The couple were transported to a local hospital where Jones was declared dead. Her partner survived and his condition is currently unknown.
Mohlala indicated that the identity of the suspect is known to the police, but that he is still on the run. “Police are doing their best to bring him to book,” he said.
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Community members responded to Mohlala’s statement that the suspect on the run was an ex-boyfriend of Jones by indicating that they did not believe this to be true. Lowvelder remains in continuous communication with the police’s communications department and will provide more information as soon as it becomes available.
Note: This report was updated on October 23 at 08:00.
