MANGAUNG – Two suspects were arrested in a tavern three months after a fatal early morning shooting in which a driver was killed.

The fatal shooting occurred in the early hours of Saturday 25 April at approximately 04:10 in Mafora, Mangaung, Bloemfontein.

It is alleged that the victim, Shuping Cecil Debi, was driving a red Ford Fiesta through the Mafora area when he was ambushed and shot at by two male assailants. As a result of the gunshots, the vehicle veered off the road, crashed through a fence, and came to a halt inside a residential yard.

Police and emergency medical services responded to the scene, where the victim was found inside the vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three-month manhunt leads to arrests

Following the incident, a multi-disciplinary task team comprising members of the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit, as well as detectives from Kagisanong and Parkweg, launched an intensive intelligence-driven manhunt.

Their efforts proved successful when the team traced the two suspects to a local tavern in JB Mafora on 24 July. Both suspects, aged 30, were taken into custody without incident.

The motive for the fatal attack remains under investigation, according to Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli, police spokesperson.

The suspects are expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court to face charges of murder.

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