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A suspect was found in possession of a rifle believed to have been used in a triple murder in KwaNqulu last year. (Supplied/SAPS)
- One person was killed and a police officer injured in a shootout in Msinga.
- The police had just arrested a suspect believed to have been involved in a triple murder last year.
- They were ambushed when an individual began shooting at the officers from a local taxi rank.
One person was killed and a police officer was wounded during a shootout in Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said officers were transporting a suspect linked to a triple-murder case dating back to October 2023, when another man opened fire at them.
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The suspect was found in possession of a rifle believed to have been used in the murders in KwaNqulu.
The operation took a violent turn when the shooter opened fire from a local taxi rank.
"When the police approached him, the man started firing shots, injuring one police officer in the arm.
"Police returned fire and, during the shootout, the suspect was fatally wounded," Netshiunda said.
A .38 Special revolver with an erased serial number was recovered from the deceased.
"The firearms will be taken for ballistic testing to ascertain whether they are linked to other crime scenes," he said.
The suspect arrested in connection with the triple murders is scheduled to appear in the Msinga Magistrate's Court soon.
A .38 revolver with an erased serial number was recovered from the deceased. (Supplied/SAPS)
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News24 previously reported that 48 suspects had been killed in shootouts with the police in KwaZulu-Natal since April.
Provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, vowed that officers under attack would not back down from confronting suspected criminals.
"We are dealing with serious criminals here, not just criminals who steal but criminals who kill. We are at war. When you take war to the criminals as the police, the experts must give us space. This is a battleground and we are fighting; we are not negotiating," Mkhwanazi warned.
