Four men have been arrested for the murder of a policeman found stabbed and shot in Somerset West in the early hours of Christmas day.
The 33-year-old officer was allegedly killed after reporting off duty at the Lingelethu West police station on Christmas Day.
Western Cape police spokesperson Zinzi Hani said the stabbing allegedly took place at the Asanda village at approximately 06:30pm on Christmas.
“The constable sustained several stab and gunshot wounds and succumbed at the crime scene. After preliminary investigation, it was established that the member was robbed off his pistol and a cellphone.”
Hani said police had interviewed a man who was injured after the police officer had apparently fired shots at a group of people who were trying to rob him.
The Hawks’ National Priority Violent Crimes team, detectives and crime scene experts were gathering leads in an attempt to arrest those who were responsible for the officer’s murder.
Hani said: “The information showed that, before being robbed, he fired several shots towards his attackers and injured one in the process.
“The injured person was then taken to Hottentots Holland Hospital and later transferred to Tygerberg Hospital for further medical examination.”
“During the interview, the investigating team arrested the injured person as the information showed that he was one of the attackers and has since been arrested.
A multi-disciplinary team was put together to trace the outstanding suspects and the police officer’s firearm. The suspects were apprehended the same day and the constable’s firearm was also recovered on the same day.
The four suspects are expected to appear in the Strand Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, December 28, 2022.
Source: The Bharat Express, News24, IOL, image from Twitter: @SAPoliceService