South African Police commissioner Khehla Sithole - Image: Phando Jikelo
Police have initiated the 72-hour activation plan as they hunt for the killers who fatally shot decorated senior Hawks officer Lieutenant Colonel Leroy Brewer in his car in Mbombela.
Brewer was driving to work around 6.30am when he was gunned down on Lydenburg Road in Nelspruit on Tuesday.
It is understood that Brewer was attacked with heavy calibre weapons by an undisclosed number of gunmen. He died at the scene.
Several empty cartridges were found on the scene. A photo taken at the crime scene showed Bruwer’s vehicle standing in the yellow lane on the tar road with its nose pointing in the direction of Nelspruit.
Three bullet holes could be seen in the driver’s window. The passenger window behind Bruwer’s driver’s seat also had a hole through it.
National police commissioner General Khehla Sithole has condemned the killing and has called on a multidisciplinary team.
Brewer was a seasoned investigator who excelled in cracking complex cases, particularly related to rhino poaching.
In 2016, he testified how he and a colleague were detained by police when they tried to charge two officers linked to a rhino poaching bust, the Lowvelder reported at the time.
“The SAPS family and the community have suffered a huge loss,” Sithole said.
“I have extended my deepest condolences to Brewer’s family and promised a thorough investigation into the colonel’s senseless killing.”
Police appeal to anyone with information to contact their offices at 086 00 10111.
READ MORE: Mpumalanga police officer shot dead on his way to work identified
(Compiled by Gopolang Moloko)
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