Durban – Five suspects were fatally wounded on Thursday after they were involved in deadly gun battle with police along Abbot Francis Road in Mariannhill on Thursday afternoon.
Police said they had “operationalised” intelligence on the whereabouts of the wanted suspects.
“When the police signaled for the suspects to pull over, the suspects fired shots at the police and a shootout ensued,” said Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
“After the shootout, five suspects were found to have suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
“One of the suspects has been on the police’s wanted list in connection with a series of murders and other serious violent crimes.
“He was also linked to the Mariannhill scrapyards murder crime scenes where five people were shot and killed in two separate incidents in February this year.”
Colonel Netshiunda said the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has been notified for further investigations.
IPID is an independent oversight body that conducts investigations into deaths as a result of police actions.
