Two men – a security officer believed to be in his 30s and a 23-year-old Wentworth resident – were shot and killed in two separate shootings in Durban in the last two days.

Northglen News reports the officer was killed in an incident on Kew Road in Kenville just after 11:30.

ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson says it is believed the officer was responding to an emergency when he sustained a single gunshot wound to the head.

“Paramedics arrived on scene to find SAPS and multiple security companies on scene. They were shown to a security officer who had been shot. They assessed the man believed to be in his 30s, however, he had sustained fatal injuries and was declared deceased on the scene. It is alleged that the man was a security officer and was responding to an emergency at a house when he came under fire.”

According to Marshall Security, the incident suggests  the shooting may have been a robbery gone wrong, which was then interrupted by the responding security officer.

“The suspect’s vehicle used in the incident was recovered by our Special Operations Team, the Durban SAPS K9 Unit and the Phoenix SAPS Trio Crimes Unit on Queen Nandi Drive in the KwaMashu area,” explains spokesperson Tyron Powell.

“The officers’ firearm was also taken during the incident. Upon inspecting the recovered vehicle, it was discovered that the vehicle was sought by the SAPS and was hijacked earlier this week in the Phoenix area.”

Separate shooting

A separate incident – in the Warwick triangle yesterday – claimed the life of a 23-year old man from Wentworth.

Southlands Sun reports a police report indicates Tiago Smith and a group of male companions were seated on the roadside outside Syringa Avenue, Durban, before an unknown vehicle approached the group and opened fire on them and then continued to drive off.

“Smith sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was declared deceased on the scene. Smith was found with two shots to the upper thigh, one to his groin, one to his mid-abdomen, one to his chest and one to his index finger. The other people in the company of the deceased fled the scene prior to the police’s arrival,” explains the report.

The reasoning behind the shooting is still unknown.