Reaction officer shot dead in Zwelisha

An on-duty Reaction Officer from Dev Security died in a hail of bullets after he was attacked by armed suspects in Zwelisha- Kwazulu Natal this morning.

Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) received the initial call from the Dev Security Control Center seeking assistance after receiving information of an Officer under attack. Reaction Officers & Paramedics converged on the area and the RUSA Operations Center received several calls from residents reporting a shooting in progress.

The scene was located minutes later on the corner of Ugagane Close & Unganu Circle where the body of a 41-year-old Reaction Officer was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his body & head. His 9mm handgun was taken. His bulletproof vest was also penetrated by 9mm rounds (picture 3). Several spent 9mm cartridges were found on the scene.

According to the tuckshop owner, the Reaction Officer was attacked by three armed men who opened rapid fire on him. The Officer was standing off to provide protection to the shop owners who were frequently robbed on Fridays during stock delivery. A white Izuzu bakkie that was delivering goods to the store was also shot. An undisclosed amount of cash was also stolen from the tuck shop.

A second Reaction Officer was shot dead in the KZN South Coast earlier this week. The Officer was attending to a callout when he was shot in the chest.

Both Reaction Officers resided in Phoenix.