Durban — Verulam police are investigating charges of murder after a couple were found murdered in their bed in Cottonlands, north of Durban, over the weekend.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said: “It is alleged that on July 23, at 2.30am, a couple aged 31 and 32 were shot and killed by unknown suspects while they were asleep in their rented house at Cottonlands in Verulam.”
Gwala said the motive for the killing is unknown at this stage and the suspects are unknown.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) responded to the scene after the bullet riddled bodies of the couple were discovered in their rented room by neighbours hours after hearing a volley of shots being fired.
Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram said Rusa was contacted at approximately 6.24am on Saturday after residents made the discovery during a wellness check.
He said Rusa officers and medics were dispatched to the scene and on arrival, found a large crowd that had gathered in the yard.
“Medics entered the room and located the couple lying naked in bed. The 32-year-old man was shot once in the head and four times in the body. His 30-year-old girlfriend was shot in the head, abdomen and four times on her left arm. Their entrance door was forced open,” Balram said.
He said other tenants told Rusa officers that they had heard multiple shots being fired in the building at approximately 2.30am. They were afraid to immediately leave their rooms and waited several hours before conducting a wellness check on everyone on the property.
Balram said the motive for the murders were not established.
Daily News