A police officer and a robber have been killed in a shoot-out after a robbery at a shop in Wentworth, Durban.
|||A police officer and a robber were killed in a shoot-out after a robbery at a shop in Wentworth, south of Durban on Monday, KwaZulu-Natal police said.
“Three men robbed the staff of a shop of an undisclosed amount of cash and a cellphone around 9am,” Colonel Jay Naicker said.
“The men fled on foot and got into a passing minibus taxi that drove off.”
Residents alerted two passing officers to the robbery, who followed the taxi in their vehicle.
Naicker said the officers instructed the driver to stop the minibus near Wentworth Hospital and ordered the robbers to surrender.
“The robbers opened fire on the officers, hitting one of them in the neck,” he said.
“Police returned fire and asked for back up.”
One robber died on the scene during the exchange of gunfire, while the wounded officer died at the local hospital a short while later.
Naicker said police arrested one man and seized a firearm from the scene.
“The third one fled on foot and he is still being sought.”
The man was expected to appear in the Wentworth Magistrate's Court soon. – Sapa