While Mpumalanga police have arrested a 35-year-old man in connection with the killing of Nelspruit deputy sheriff, Michelle Jones (32), police are searching for one more suspect.

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.

The friend had exited the vehicle to enter the shop when she saw two men, who were known to her, hiding behind a tree near to where the car was parked.

Mpumalanga provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said that when the friend left the shop she witnessed the two men approaching the vehicle.

One of the men pulled out a gun and fired several shots at the car, hitting Jones 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.

“A preliminary investigation led to the arrest of a 35-year-old suspect who was with the deceased’s ex-boyfriend (at the time of the shooting),” said Mohlala.

“The ex-boyfriend is still on the run, but police are doing their best to bring him to book.”

The provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, has condemned the shooting and killing of Jones.