Pretoria - A bystander at a filling station in Acornhoek, Mpumalanga, was gunned down when armed robbers invaded the premises on Monday.
The incident happened when the victim and his three friends stopped at a filling station after they heard a loud bang, which they thought was a tyre burst.
“Little did they know that whilst stopping they were exposing themselves to a dangerous situation whereby criminals were on a mission of blowing up a drop safe,” said provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala.
Mohlala said that according to the filling station employees, a group of unknown suspects invaded the premises and instructed everyone to lie down before setting off the detonators on the drop safe.
“Unexpectedly, one of the three passengers in the vehicle informed his friends that he was shot. The 25-year-old victim was immediately transported to hospital, where he was certified dead on arrival.”
According to Mohlala, the suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of money and no other casualties were reported.
“No arrest has been made and police call on anyone who might assist to please contact Lieutenant-Colonel Aaron Digoro on 082 318 9925 or contact the police Crime Stop number 08600 10111, alternatively on the MySAPS app,” he said.
Meanwhile, provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela said she was disturbed by the criminal activity that led to the death of an innocent person.
“We have since launched an investigation and we will do our best to get the suspects behind bars. We are also banking on the community’s assistance for our successful investigation,” she said.
IOL