A 21-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man accused of shooting dead a police officer made a brief appearance in the Richards Bay magistrate's court on Wednesday.
The Hawks said in a statement that Phumowakhe Ndwandwe had been arrested on Friday after Det-Sgt Sakhile Nsibande was fatally shot on Thursday.
The Hawks said that on Thursday November 14 KwaMbonambi detectives conducted a raid at Cinci reserve, looking for the house robbery suspect. The suspect's house was identified and tactically approached by the police.
"When Ndwandwe realised that he was cornered, he allegedly fired shots through the window and made his escape. It was then discovered that Sgt Nsibande had been shot. He was taken to hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival,” said the Hawks.
A murder docket was allocated to Richards Bay's serious organised crime unit for further investigation.
The next day, a joint operation conducted by Empangeni public order police, crime intelligence, KwaMbonambi detectives and Richards Bay's serious organised crime unit yielded positive results when Ndwandwe was arrested at Kwamsane area near Mtubatuba.
“He was found in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The firearm will be sent for ballistic tests to ascertain if it was used in the commission of any crime, including the shooting of Sgt Nsibande,” the statement read.
Ndwandwe was remanded in custody and the matter was postponed to November 26.
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