Gunman kills sleeping cop
2002-11-04 12:42
Eshowe - A 52-year-old KwaZulu-Natal police officer was shot dead while asleep with his girlfriend, and another policeman was stabbed in a separate incident, police reported on Monday.
Captain Musa Khaba said inspector Mandla Thwala of the
Mtunzini police station on the North Coast, was
murdered about 03:00.
The gunman allegedly forced a door open, pistol-whipped the
woman and fired three shots at Thwala as he woke up - killing him
instantly.
The attacker fired more shots outside the house before he disappeared.
Members of the Richards Bay serious and violent crime unit are
investigating.
In another incident, an Empangeni police officer was stabbed in the shoulder by two knifemen, who robbed him of a government vehicle on Friday.
According to Khaba, Inspector William Gumede was parked near an automatic teller machine waiting for a colleague at 17:40 in
Richards Bay when the pair struck.
Police said the vehicle was later recovered in a township. No
arrests had been made yet.
A truck driver was shot in a leg by two gunmen, who
robbed him of his pistol in Richards Bay at the weekend. Police
said the attackers had forced the driver at gunpoint to pull off on the N2 highway about noon.
The driver managed to contact police who took him to hospital.
- SAPA