Durban — A passenger was shot by an armed suspect during a robbery of a bus which was followed by a shoot-out between the robbers and a response officer in Phoenix.
KZN VIP Protection Services spokesperson, Gareth Naidoo, said that there was a shootout between armed suspects and KZN VIP on Fernham Drive and Grassfern Gardens in Phoenix on Thursday evening.
Naidoo said that members of KZN VIP who were on routine patrol came across a robbery in progress where approximately four armed suspects were holding up passengers in a bus that was off-loading.
“As suspects noticed the approaching KZN VIP vehicle they began shooting rapidly at the response officer whilst attempting to flee. The response unit returned fire at the suspects who managed to flee through a pathway towards Bhambayi,” Naidoo said.
“A 52-year-old man passenger was shot by a suspect whilst the robbery was taking place.”
Naidoo said that a KZN VIP ambulance responded and personnel began stabilising the victim who was in a critical state. The patient was rushed to a nearby medical facility.
“The response officers escaped unharmed but the vehicle was shot multiple times,” Naidoo said.
Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said that Phoenix police are investigating a case of attempted murder and robbery, following an incident in which a 43-year-old man was allegedly robbed by unknown suspects on June 29, 2023, at Fenham Drive.
“Reports indicate that he was off-loading passengers when a group of unknown men pointed firearms at him demanding cash,” Ngcobo said.
She said that during the robbery a male passenger was shot and he was rushed to hospital for medical attention.
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