A 22-year-old suspect who had been arrested for attempted murder on Saturday was shot and fatally wounded on Monday morning after allegedly trying to kill police officers inside the holding cells at Ntuzuma Police Station, north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. Reports on Monday said the incident escalated into a hostage situation after the suspect overpowered officers inside the cells.
According to police, two officers were processing the suspect in the cells when he allegedly overpowered them, assaulted them, and took the keys to the main door. When backup arrived, the suspect allegedly grabbed a firearm from one of the responding officers, opened fire, and locked officers inside the cells.
KwaZulu-Natal SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the suspect attempted to hold six police officers hostage during the standoff. Specialist police units were then deployed to the scene to contain the situation.
“The hostage situation continued for several minutes before tactical police teams managed to penetrate the cells and, during the operation, the 22-year-old suspect was shot and fatally wounded,” Netshiunda said. Two police officers, a male and a female, sustained minor injuries during the scuffle. Police officers who were held hostage will be temporarily withdrawn from active duty to undergo psychological debriefing.
This is a developing story.