4 suspected hitmen shot dead in Mooi River
Four suspected hitmen have been killed in a gun battle with KwaZulu-Natal police after a high-speed car chase.
Investigators intercepted the group's vehicle on the N3 in Mooi River on Monday.
"Police intercepted the suspects’ vehicle on the N3 Highway and signalled for the driver to stop, however the driver sped-off and took the Hidcote turn-off, joining the R103 road towards Estcourt," says KZN police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda.
"During the high-speed chase, suspects started firing shots towards the police, and in order to protect themselves and other road users, police returned fire and during the subsequent shootout, four suspects who were the occupants in the vehicle were shot and fatally wounded."
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Netshiunda says they recovered a rifle and a pistol from the car. He says one of the suspects was on their most wanted list.
He had been linked to the shootings that claimed the lives of a taxi association chairperson and his deputy in Bergville earlier this year.
"He was also wanted for the Bergville taxi rank shooting in which a taxi owner was shot in an incident where a commuter was hit by a stray bullet, as well as June 2024 attempted murder of a taxi owner in Winterton,” says Netshiunda.
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