Two die in Lotto robbery

2003-06-17 15:01

Welkom - A shop owner was killed, an armed robber shot dead and a policeman was wounded when four men stole national lottery cash from a Free State supermarket on Monday, police said on Tuesday.

Captain Rosa Benade said four men armed with handguns entered the Reitzpark supermarket in Welkom about 19:45 where they confronted the owner, Jose Santos de Asensao, 31, and demanded money from the Lotto till.

When de Asensao tried to resist he was shot in the head and died later in Welkom's Hydromed hospital.

Benade said police were alerted and came under fire from one of the attackers as they fled, hitting Inspector Bernadus Ferreira in the stomach.

Police returned fire and the gunman was hit in the leg and chest and died at the scene. An unlicensed firearm was found in his possession.

The other three men escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash. The wounded policeman was taken to hospital where he was in a serious but stable condition.

- SAPA