Four suspects who were wanted for taxi industry-related murders were shot and killed in a high-speed car chase and shootout with police in Mooi River, KwaZulu-Natal, on Monday afternoon.
KZN police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said police officers conducted an operation after they received intelligence about the suspects’ presence in the Mooi River area.
Netshiunda said police intercepted the suspects’ vehicle on the N3 highway and signalled to the driver to stop. However, the driver sped off and took the Hidcote turn-off, joining the R103 road towards Estcourt.
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High-speed chase
Netshiunda said during the high-speed chase, the suspects opened fire on the police, who returned fire. Four suspects who were the occupants in the vehicle were shot and fatally wounded.
He said police found two firearms, a rifle and pistol, as well as ammunition, in the possession of the suspects.
Netshiunda said one of the suspects was a 40-year-old man who was most wanted in connection with the murders of a taxi association chairperson and his deputy in Bergville. The murders took place in February and June 2024 respectively.
“He was also wanted for a taxi rank shooting in Bergville, in which a taxi owner was shot and commuter was hit by a stray bullet. He was wanted as well for a June 2024 attempted murder of a taxi owner in Winterton,” Netshiunda said.
Firearms confiscated
“The firearms recovered will be subjected to ballistic testing to investigate if they are linked to other violent crime scenes elsewhere in the province or around the country. Although the police vehicle was riddled with bullet holes, no police officer was injured in the shootout,” said Netshiunda.
