Durban Metro Police officer killed in highway shooting

A Durban Metro cop has been killed in a shooting incident in Durban on Thursday morning. Picture: ALS Paramedics

A Durban Metro cop has been killed in a shooting incident in Durban on Thursday morning. Picture: ALS Paramedics

Published Jul 20, 2023

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A Durban Metro police officer was fatally shot on the M7 highway on Thursday morning, according to ALS Paramedics.

The shooting took place around 7 am near the Hans Detman off-ramp, Durban bound.

Garrith Jamieson from ALS Paramedics reported that the officer was found with a fatal gunshot wound upon the paramedics' arrival. "Unfortunately, there was nothing more paramedics could do for the man, and he was declared deceased," Jamieson said.

The officer, believed to be in his 30s, was traveling in a Durban Metro police car that was subsequently hijacked and later recovered on Stapleton Road in the Pinetown area.

He had sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest.

"At this stage, the details leading up to the shooting are unknown, however, SAPS were in attendance and will be investigating further," Jamieson added.

Metro police spokesperson Colonel Boysie Zungu confirmed an officer had been killed but did not provide further details until the officer's next of kin is notified.

In a separate incident on Wednesday around 4 pm, a person, believed to be an e-hailing driver, was shot in an attempted hijacking on Walton Road in Umbilo.

"ALS Paramedics Medical Services arrived on the scene to find SAPS already in attendance," said Jamieson. "One person, a male believed to be in his forties was found lying on the roadway with a gunshot wound to his head."

The man was stabilized on the scene before being rushed to a nearby Durban hospital for urgent treatment.

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