By Everson Luhanga
Two hijacking suspects fired on police, but the cops fired back and killed one of them next to the MTN taxi rank in central Johannesburg on Monday afternoon.
The second suspect sustained gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital.
Gauteng provincial police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the suspects had two firearms with filed-off serial numbers.
“Two sector managers from Johannesburg Central police station swiftly acted on information received about a suspicious-looking Quantum taxi without a registration number, carrying six male occupants,” Nevhuhulwi said.
Police arrived to find the suspects had already forced one victim into their taxi and were struggling to force two more victims from their vehicle.
“When they saw the police, the suspects started firing shots in their direction, and the members retaliated, fatally shooting one suspect and wounding the other while the other four fled the scene,” she said.
“The wounded suspect was taken to hospital and will be charged with attempted armed robbery, kidnapping, and hijacking.”
In a separate incident in Hillbrow, two people were shot dead, and two others were hit by stray bullets around midnight on Sunday. The incident happened on the corner of Twist and Leyds streets.
A police source said the deceased were approached by two suspects who fired bullets at them.
The source told Scrolla.Africa about 28 empty bullet cartridges were found at the scene. The deceased’s cellphones and other belongings were taken from them.
Two passersby were hit by stray bullets in the incident and were rushed to hospital. The motive for the shooting is still unknown.
In another incident in Berea, a security guard on night duty at a supermarket was ambushed and shot dead by a gang. The incident happened at the corner of Tudhope and O’Reilly streets around 1 am on Monday.
Pictured above: The crime scene where a hijacking suspect was killed next to the MTN taxi rank in central Johannesburg.
Source: Supplied
