Six men believed to be a part of an extortionist gang, have been killed following an early morning shoot-out with police in KwaZulu-Natal.
The men are linked to a string of murders in the province.
Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said officers made their way to an apartment block in South Beach, in Durban's Point area just before midnight on Monday.
“Police were tracing suspects who shot five people, and killed four of them execution-style on Siyaphambili Road in Tshelimnyama in Mariannhill on Sunday night,” he said.
The deceased were sitting at the side of the road, drinking alcohol when the armed men arrived armed with pistols and a rifle.
They ordered the seated men to lie down and shot them at the back of their heads.
The suspects are further linked to a triple murder in the Hammarsdale area where three men were gunned down at a tuck shop.
“They were also linked with a Friday evening robbery at a shop on the ground floor of the apartment they were found in. It is also suspected that the suspects were involved in the illicit drug trade,” Netshiunda said.
Netshiunda said police received information that the suspects were hiding in Newlands East and they made their way to the area however, further intelligence revealed that the suspects were living in a rented holiday apartment in South Beach.
“When police announced their presence at the apartment, the suspects opened fire and a shoot-out ensued. All six suspects were shot and fatally wounded during the shoot-out. No police officer sustained any injuries,” Netshiunda said.
Police conducted a thorough search of the apartment and found three firearms.
“The firearms will be subjected to ballistic testing to ascertain if they could be linked to other crime scenes. Police are also hot on the heels of the person who booked the room for the deceased suspects,” Netshiunda said.
Garrith Jamieson of ALS Paramedics added that no police officers had been injured in the shoot-out.
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