Off-duty cop killed while allegedly stealing bricks

An off-duty Cape Town police officer died after being shot on a construction site on Monday morning while stealing bricks.

CAPE TOWN, June 14 (ANA) – An off-duty Cape Town police officer died after being shot on a construction site on Monday morning while allegedly stealing bricks.

In a statement, provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said two more suspects were arrested at the construction site.

She said Harare police were patrolling the area during the early hours of the morning when they came across a light-duty delivery vehicle loading bricks at a construction site.

Potelwa said officers approached the vehicle and four suspects fled the site.

Officers managed to arrest two suspects with the help of on-site security guards.

She said as officers were loading the suspects into the police van, they came under gunfire and returned fire.

The gunman shooting at them was hit. The suspect was taken to the hospital, where he died.

It was later discovered that the deceased gunman was an off-duty police officer who was attached to the Khayelitsha Tactical Response Team (TRT).

Further investigation by police led them to the home of the deceased officer, where a generator stolen during a business robbery was found.

Potelwa said officers also discovered the firearm used by the deceased officer to shoot at the police was the service pistol registered in his name.

The vehicle found to be used for loading the bricks at the construction site also belonged to the deceased officer.

Potelwa said the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has been informed about the incident.

Acting police commissioner of the Western Cape Major-General Thembisile Patekile decried police officials involved in crime.

Patekile said not only do the officers tarnish the name of the South African Police Service (SAPS), but their actions strain the relations between the police and communities.

He vowed to “root out bad apples” within the Western Cape SAPS.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher