Eastern Cape gunfire: Police gunfire kills Mthatha teenager, off-duty robbery suspected by constable Mqanduli

• Police gunfire kills off-duty policeman and boarding school teenager in separate incidents in Eastern Cape
• A sergeant reportedly fired at police at an apparent robbery scene, while officers fired warning shots upon boarding
• Police have opened an investigation into the Mqanduli incident and a murder case into the Mthatha boarding school incident
• IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping confirmed to Briefly News that the police watchdog has passed the case

ZWELITSHA – An off-duty sergeant and a teenager – ​​and not criminals – died at the end of police shootings in different parts of Eastern Cape on the weekend.

In Mthatha, police are investigating the murder of an eighteen-year-old teenager in a residential property.

Police shooting kills off-duty cop, teenager

Reports suggest that year Excelsior General School A Class 12 student suffered a fatal gunshot wound after police arrived at a hostel.

Officers allegedly fired warning shots at the scene, causing a commotion and causing a group of boys to run outside.

After that, one of them was lying on the ground dead.

“The incident is believed to have occurred in the early hours of Mabutho Street, North Crest, in Mthatha on Sunday 3 November 2024,” said Lt-Col Siphokazi Mawisa.

“A case of murder has been transferred to the Independent Police Investigation Directorate (IPID) for further investigation to establish the circumstances.”

Talking to News in briefIPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said members of the Flying Squad went to raid a residence during a party.

“When they got to the house, the occupants of the house allegedly fled and the police fired shots,” Shuping said.

“One person was fatally injured in the garden of the house. The incident took place on Sunday around 2 am and was reported to the IPID.”

Investigators have since visited the scene.

Meanwhile, police have opened an investigation after an off-duty sergeant was killed during a shootout with members of the Mthatha Tactical Response Team (TRT) in Mqanduli on Sunday afternoon.

“Operational information about armed suspects led police to a bottle shop in the Dobe location at around 4pm.

“On seeing the police, the suspects fled in different directions,” said provincial police spokesman Adjutant Majola Nkohli.

A suspect near the bottle shop’s entrance opened fire and suffered multiple gunshot wounds when police returned fire.

“Police recovered an unlicensed revolver and a preliminary (subsequent) investigation revealed it was stolen in Hillbrow in 2021.

“It was (later) established that the deceased suspect was an off-duty sergeant at the Madeira police station,” Nkohli said.

Source: News in brief