Cop, wanted criminal killed

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Two men were shot dead while sleeping in their homes in Kwaaiman in the Eastern Cape.

A policeman and a wanted criminal have been killed in a shootout in Nhlanhleni, near Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Monday.

On Sunday, two police constables saw a 32-year-old man who was wanted in an assault case, said Lt-Col Vincent Mdunge.

“As they stopped their vehicle, the suspect opened fire on them, hitting the first policeman in his abdomen and the second in the right arm.”

The policeman wounded in the arm shot at the man, wounding him in the neck.

“All three wounded men were rushed off to the Church of Scotland Hospital, where the policeman with the abdominal wound and the suspect later died.”

Mdunge said the names of the three could not be released until their next-of-kin had been informed. The wounded policeman remained in hospital in a stable condition.

The police were investigating charges of murder, attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm, Mdunge said. - Sapa