Tow truck driver survives drive-by shooting at Durban shopping mall parking lot

A Durban tow truck owner came under fire while seated in the parking lot of a Durban shopping mall. Picture: File image

A Durban tow truck owner came under fire while seated in the parking lot of a Durban shopping mall. Picture: File image

Published May 31, 2023

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Durban - A tow truck owner escaped a hail of bullets while seated in his vehicle in Seaview on Tuesday afternoon.

The incident took place on Titren Road at around 5.30pm.

It is alleged the victim had been parked in a parking bay at the Southway Mall with three of his tow trucks when he suddenly heard shots being fired towards him.

According to an incident report, the victim alleges that he had been previously threatened with regard to his tow truck operation route and claims the suspects who shot at him are known to him.

The suspects are alleged to have fired several shots before fleeing in a getaway car.

It is alleged a total of 16 spent cartridges were found at the scene with two live rounds.

The victim sustained a bullet graze to his left elbow.

KZN provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Bellair police are investigating a case of attempted murder after a 27-year-old man was allegedly attacked by two armed suspects on 30 May at a mall in Bellair.

“The victim managed to escape unharmed.”

On Tuesday, the national police minister Bheki Cele painted a grim picture of KwaZulu-Natal during the release of the crime statistics from January 2023 to March 2023.

The province reported the highest figures of multiple-murder cases in the country.

Cases of attempted murder also increased from 5717 to 6192 nationally.

Most of these attempted murders took place in public places, like beaches, parking lots, and open fields.

The most murders linked to firearms occurred in KwaZulu-Natal, with 842 cases, followed by Gauteng, with 727.

In KZN, uMlazi and Inanda were the top stations in the country for attempted murder cases that were reported.

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