KwaZulu-Natal police shot dead three suspects, wanted for a string of murders and other crimes, following a heated gun battle in Inanda, on Tuesday night.
Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said the suspects were also linked to the murder of a police Sergeant, who was killed last year.
“A multidisciplinary team comprising of members of the Provincial Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) Tracking Team, DPCI Anti Gang Unit, KZN Provincial Tactical Response Team, Pietermaritzburg K9 unit, Inanda Task Team as well as private security acted on intelligence about the whereabouts of the suspects who have been on police's radar for some time,” Netshiunda said.
He said when the team arrived at a house in Nombonjani Mtshali Road in Inanda's Congo area, four suspects fired at police who retaliated.
"A shoot-out ensued and three suspects were found to have sustained fatal gunshot wounds and were declared deceased at the scene," Netshiunda said.
He added that a manhunt was under way for a fourth suspect.
Netshiunda said the suspects were positively linked to the murder of the Sergeant, a member of the KwaMashu Tracking Team who was disarmed and fatally wounded with his service firearm in June 2023.
"Other murders include a double murder in Inanda in January 2024, as well as another two murder cases which were registered at Inanda in 2021 and 2023," Netshiunda said.
Provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said one of the suspects is a notorious suspect who has evaded arrest for a while.
Speaking to eNCA, Mkhwanazi credited the police officers who recruited informers and the work of the local community policing forum that helped in tracking down the suspects.
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