Sixteen suspects have been arrested in connection with a taxi-related shooting at the notorious Brooke Street taxi rank in Durban on Friday in which one person died and two people were seriously injured.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the suspects would be charged for murder and attempted murder‚ including the shooting of a police officer in Pinetown outside Durban. They would also be charged for illegal possession of firearms.
They are expected to appear in court on Monday. A provincial task team has been assigned to investigate the case and the firearms seized from the suspects will be subjected to ballistic testing to ascertain if they were used in any other pending cases.
At around 5pm on Friday‚ a group of heavily armed men travelling in a Toyota Quantum minibus taxi stormed the taxi rank in Brooke Street and fired multiple gunshots and sped off.
Three people were seriously injured and rushed to hospital. A 56-year-old person later died. After the shooting the suspects fled towards Pinetown and a police officer from the Pinetown task team spotted the suspects’ vehicle in New Germany and gave chase.
The suspects opened fire at him and he retaliated. No injuries were sustained and the suspects abandoned their vehicle and ran into a building in Scott Road in Pinetown.
The National Intervention Unit was called in and 16 suspects were arrested and 17 firearms seized. The firearms included nine rifles‚ a shotgun and seven pistols.
KwaZulu-Natal acting provincial commissioner Major-General Bheki Langa has commended the swift response by police in arresting the suspects and the recovery of the firearms.
16 arrested for taxi-related shooting in Durban
Sixteen suspects have been arrested in connection with a taxi-related shooting at the notorious Brooke Street taxi rank in Durban on Friday in which one person died and two people were seriously injured.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the suspects would be charged for murder and attempted murder‚ including the shooting of a police officer in Pinetown outside Durban. They would also be charged for illegal possession of firearms.
They are expected to appear in court on Monday. A provincial task team has been assigned to investigate the case and the firearms seized from the suspects will be subjected to ballistic testing to ascertain if they were used in any other pending cases.
At around 5pm on Friday‚ a group of heavily armed men travelling in a Toyota Quantum minibus taxi stormed the taxi rank in Brooke Street and fired multiple gunshots and sped off.
Three people were seriously injured and rushed to hospital. A 56-year-old person later died. After the shooting the suspects fled towards Pinetown and a police officer from the Pinetown task team spotted the suspects’ vehicle in New Germany and gave chase.
The suspects opened fire at him and he retaliated. No injuries were sustained and the suspects abandoned their vehicle and ran into a building in Scott Road in Pinetown.
The National Intervention Unit was called in and 16 suspects were arrested and 17 firearms seized. The firearms included nine rifles‚ a shotgun and seven pistols.
KwaZulu-Natal acting provincial commissioner Major-General Bheki Langa has commended the swift response by police in arresting the suspects and the recovery of the firearms.