Somerset West police have opened an inquest docket and are investigating two cases of attempted murder following a fatal shooting incident, which played out in broad daylight on an arterial road.
According to police spokesperson Sergeant Suzan Jantjies, authorities responded to the incident, which occurred at the intersection on the corner of the N2 and Victoria Street around 16:34 on Sunday (4 August), bringing traffic to a halt and sending shock waves through the community.
Two occupants of a Toyota Quantum minibus taxi with an Eastern Cape registration were apparently targeted by a gun-wielding perpetrator, who shot at the pair before turning the firearm on himself.
The suspect was critically wounded and later died in hospital.
Jantjies related that a minibus taxi travelling on the highway from Nyanga in the direction of Strand approached the intersection, stopping at red traffic lights.
An unknown man reportedly approached the stationary vehicle, opened the sliding door of the taxi and started talking to a female occupant.
The man apparently produced a firearm and shot at the woman and a fellow male occupant, believed to have been seated next to her, before allegedly shooting himself.
“The woman was wounded in the right arm and left hand, while a 39-year-old man, believed to be a colleague, was shot in the stomach. The suspected shooter and victims were taken to a medical facility for treatment,” said Jantjies.
She further confirmed the suspected shooter, later identified as 33-year-old Mlamli Sitshintshi, succumbed to a head wound in hospital.
Authorities confirmed the motive for the attack is still unclear and formed part of the police investigation.
- Anyone with information on the incident which may aid the investigation, is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
