KwaZulu-Natal police shot and killed six extortion and murder suspects during a shootout at South Beach in Durban before midnight on Monday. (Supplied/SAPS)
- Six suspects were killed in a shootout with KwaZulu-Natal police in South Beach, Durban.
- The suspects were linked to multiple crimes, including the execution-style murder of four men in Tshelimnyama and a triple murder in Mpumalanga township.
- Police recovered three firearms from the scene, and they will be sent for ballistic testing.
Six suspects linked to extortion cases and multiple murders were shot and killed during a shootout with the police in South Beach, Durban, shortly before midnight on Monday.
KwaZulu-Natal police said they were tracing suspects who shot five people, killing four of the victims execution-style on Siyaphambili Road in Tshelimnyama, Mariannhill, on Sunday night.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said it was alleged that five men were seated on the side of the road drinking alcohol when the suspects, armed with pistols and a rifle, arrived in a vehicle and ordered them to lie down before shooting them in the back of their heads.
Netshiunda said the police followed information that the suspects were hiding in Newlands East. There, information led the police to a rented holiday flat on South Beach Avenue, in the Point area.
“When police announced their presence at the apartment, the suspects opened fire and a shootout ensued. All six suspects were shot and fatally wounded during the shootout,” Netshiunda said.
None of the police officers sustained any injuries.
Netshiunda said the suspects were linked to another incident where three men were shot and killed near a tuck shop on the Minitown main road in Mpumalanga township on Friday afternoon, as well as the robbery of a shop on the ground floor of the flat they were found in on Friday evening.
“It is also suspected that the suspects were involved in the illicit drug trade,” Netshiunda said.Police recovered three firearms, which Netshiunda said would be sent for ballistic testing to ascertain if they could be linked to other crimes. He added that the police were also hot on the heels of the person who booked the room for the suspects.
