The suspect was wanted for possession of illegal firearms.
A wanted suspect has been killed in a dramatic shootout with police in Pretoria.
It is understood that the gun battle took place in Laudium on Thursday.
Wanted suspect
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Singo said members of the Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section (Toms) received information regarding a wanted suspect who was allegedly in possession of illegal firearms.
“Toms members, working together with Pretoria Public Order Policing (POP), followed up on the information and traced the suspect to the Laudium area. Upon arrival at the identified premises, the suspect allegedly discharged a firearm and fired shots at the police.
“Police responded, and during the ensuing shootout, the suspect was fatally wounded. He was declared dead at the scene,” Singo said.
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Investigations
A 9mm that was found in the possession of the deceased was seized.
Singo said further investigations are underway.
Atteridgeville shootout
Earlier this week, five suspects were shot dead in Atteridgeville, Tshwane.
South African Police Service (Saps) spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the shooting happened outside a tuck shop in Jeffsville.
Tshwane district commissioner Major General Samuel Thine said the shooting happened around 1.15pm on Wednesday.
“Information indicated that there was a shooting. The police vehicle from the Saps Community Service Centre (CSC) reacted to the scene, and on arrival, they found that five people had been fatally wounded,” Thine said.
Witness testimony
He said the police identified 9mm cartridges, indicating that a pistol was used in the incident.
Thine added that the suspects involved in the shooting have not yet identified, but Saps will interview witnesses for more information.
“It cannot be confirmed right now whether the suspects were travelling in a vehicle or were on foot, but it is confirmed that there is a suspect who was seen shooting. We still need to get witnesses to give us more details,” the major general said.
According to Saps, four of the victims were passing by the tuck shop when the shooting occurred. One victim was about to exit the shop when shots were fired and died inside the tuck shop.
Additional reporting by Chulumanco Mahamba.
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