Law enforcement and medical services at the scene.
Image: ALS Paramedics and Medical Services
AN INQUEST has been opened after a man was allegedly shot and killed after he allegedly attempted to rob an off-duty police officer in Berea.
The suspect reportedly tried to snatch the officer's cellphone, leading to a confrontation that ended in tragedy.
Colonel Robert Netshiunda, a provincial SAPS spokesperson, said Berea police have opened an inquest docket.
“An off-duty police officer was allegedly attacked by an unknown man. Reports indicate that the officer was travelling in a traffic along Botanic Gardens Road when he was suddenly accosted by an unknown man who attempted to snatch his cellphone through the window.
“During the confrontation, the suspect allegedly tried to stab the officer. The officer withdrew his firearm and shot at the suspect. The suspect fled the scene but collapsed a short distance away on the pavement, where he later succumbed to his injuries,” he said.
Garrith Jamieson, the spokesperson for ALS Paramedics Medical Services, said they responded to the incident on Botanic Gardens Road in Berea just after 07:30am.
“Paramedics arrived on the scene to find the South African Police Service (SAPS) and multiple security personnel in attendance. They were shown a male believed to be in his twenties who had sustained a gunshot wound to his head.
“Paramedics assessed the man, however, the man had sustained fatal injuries and was declared deceased on the scene. It is alleged that the man attacked a SAPS official who retaliated, ” he said.