During the robbery, the suspects reportedly opened fire at random, wounding the man they had stolen the weapon from.
Police have launched a manhunt for suspects who shot and killed five people in a mass shooting at a tavern near Tshwane.
The shooting occurred in Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit, on Sunday morning.
Shooting
Gauteng Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili said that six others were wounded during the attack.
“It is reported by witnesses that two men known in the community came into the tavern and demanded that one of the patrons hand over his licensed firearm. A shot went off, and when the patrons ran outside, the suspects fired randomly.”
Muridili said the patron with a firearm was shot and injured, and his firearm was taken.
“The incident resulted in five fatalities and six injuries. The injured were transported to nearby medical facilities for treatment. Only one deceased has been identified so far, and all the injured have been identified.
“The injured patron whose firearm was taken will be charged with contravention of the Firearms Control Act, Act 60 of 2000, for the negligent handling of his 9mm pistol,” Muridili said.
Murder
Muridili and the Provincial Murder and Robbery unit have registered five cases of murder and six cases of attempted murder.
“The Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Tracking Team is tracing the suspects,” Muridili said.
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Fugitive
Meanwhile, a murder suspect who has been on the run since February 2023 has finally been arrested.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said detectives from Durban Central Police Station made the breakthrough on Friday.
“The suspect has been on the run since February 2023 after he allegedly killed a woman who was the mother of his children at Volksrust in Mpumalanga province.”
Arrest
Netshiunda said after the murder, the suspect reportedly fled to Eswatini, where he allegedly also killed another woman with whom he was in a romantic relationship.
“During his arrest, the suspect was planning to kill the children he had fathered with the woman that he killed in Volkrust. The suspect was handed over to police in Mpumalanga, where he will face his crime,” Netshiuda said.
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