Cop mowed down

2002-12-13 08:00

Pretoria - A massive manhunt is under way for two men who are on the run after a policeman was shot dead and his partner wounded during an exchange of gunfire in Mamelodi East, outside Pretoria, police said on Thursday evening.

Captain Piletji Sebola said two policemen, a sergeant and an inspector, from the police's tracing unit, were patrolling Mamelodi when they spotted four suspicious-looking men.

The officers stopped to search the men, when one of the men ran away and cleared a wall, in the process dropping a .38 revolver with no serial number.

Sebola said the officers then concentrated on the remaining three men, and as they approached shots were fired in their direction. During the subsequent exchange of gunfire, the inspector was shot in his left hand and sergeant Phuti Kenneth Tsiri was shot in the chest. Tsiri died at the scene.

One of the attackers was shot in the stomach and was currently under police guard at an unnamed hospital. The other man was arrested, and police are searching for the remaining two.

Sebola said it was believed that the man who fled the scene after the shooting might also be wounded. He said the police "strongly condemn the senseless attack on its members" and appealed to the community to come forward and help with information leading to the arrest of the remaining two attackers.

- SAPA