Serious Commotion as Police Officer is Shot Dead by Unknown Gunmen

Posted by Samuel on Tue 19th Sep, 2017 - tori.ng

A police officer has been shot dead by unknown gunmen, sparking commotion in the area the sad incident took place.

The South African Police Service is grieving after yet another death of one of its own, Daily Sun SA reports.

This is after a warrant officer from Meadowlands was shot and killed on Monday.

The warrant officer was shot after parking a state-owned vehicle. Several shots were fired at him when he drove off after the first shots fired at him when he was opening a gate.

He was rushed to Tshepo Themba Hospital in Dobsonville, where he succumbed to multiple gun wounds to his upper body.

On Tuesday Police Minister Fikile Mbalula condemned the killing.

Mbalula said: "The warrant officer was part of our SAPS Intelligence and was dedicated to serving and protecting South Africa.

"This comes right on the heels of our government honouring and remembering police officers who died and lost their lives in the line of duty."

He said the killing of officers is a shameful attack on our democratic order and those responsible will be found and brought to book.

"I urge society to work with the SAPS in bringing these attacks on our police to an end," Mbalula said.

In March this year News24 reported that 57 officers had died in the 2016/2017 financial year.

The number was, however, lower than 2015/2016 financial year when 79 police officers died, 40 of them in the line of duty.

In July this year one of the Katlehong police officers was shot and killed by his colleague when they responded to a robbery. The fatal incident was caught on CCTV footage, showing the cop shooting his colleague at the back of his head.

In June Warrant Officer Sipho Mthetwa was shot and killed during a police chase in Vosloorus.

It was when Mthethwa and his colleagues were doing their routine patrols and spotted a suspicious vehicle fitted with false registration numbers.