Cop, three suspects killed in shoot-out
A 32-year-old Silverton police officer was gunned down during a shoot-out after police pulled over a car with five occupants.
|||Pretoria - A Silverton police officer was gunned down in the early hours of Wednesday during a shoot-out. Three suspects were also killed.
Police said the incident happened just after the Diamond Hill Toll Plaza. The constable who died, Max Lekalakala, 32, and other members of the flying squad, pulled over a car with five occupants at 1.45am.
“When the officers approached it they were greeted by a hail of bullets,” said police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi. “Officers returned fire, killing two of the suspects on the spot. Another suspect was certified dead on arrival at a hospital. Two more suspects were arrested, one of them critically wounded. He is under police guard at hospital,” said Mulaudzi.
Three unlicensed firearms with ammunition, seven cellphones, and an iPad were found in the suspects’ possession. One of the two arrested men will appear in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court on charges of murder, attempted murder, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Reacting to the news of the slain officer, Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane said she was disturbed by the brazen attack and disregard of police officers by “callous criminals”.
“The province has been robbed of a selfless and dedicated member of the SA Police Service. However, I believe that his passing will not be in vain. It will also not weaken the morale of our police force but will encourage them to do even more to continue to protect and serve our communities.
“I appeal to the criminal justice system to speed up this case and ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime receive the harshest sentence,” said Nkosi-Malobane.
This incident comes less than two months after Colonel Reinier Lourens Logois, who was the head of support at Loate police station in Mabopane, was shot dead at his Rietfontein home. At the time, 14 used cartridges were found at the scene.
Police arrested another officer, Constable Rishen Rampashard, in connection with the murder. Rampashard was released on R5 000 bail this week. During the same week, Constable Mbuyisela James Concoshi’s body was found in the back seat of his car along a road between Riebeeckstad and Thabong in Welkom.
In December, Captain Kenneth Poortman, from Silverton police station, was found dead in Pretoria North after he was allegedly robbed, hijacked and stabbed to death. About 85 police officers were killed in 2015.
tankiso.makhetha@inl.co.za
Pretoria News