KZN murder suspects allegedly linked to weekend killings shot dead by police

DURBAN - Six murder suspects have been killed in a shootout with police in Durban.

Officers found the gang during a midnight operation in a flat they had been using as their hideout in the CBD.

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said they had been tracking the group for some time.

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"The team arrived here, and then there was a shootout between them and those boys inside. So, it's about six of them that are lying here with firearms.

"They are young, like age average - they are supposed to be in school, some of them in matric, and some of them maybe in university - they are in that age range. But the only thing they know is to commit crime."

Mkhwanazi said police moved in to arrest the six wanted suspects, but found them armed.

He said the group was linked to the recent killing of four young people over the weekend west of Durban.

"You will recall that it was in the area of Mariannhill and Kwandengezi where there was a shooting of five people; four of them died on the scene, and the other one is in the hospital."

He said it was concerning that suspects opened fire at officers during arrests, and warned those that do so would continue to be met with fire.

"And the sad part is that every time there are engagements with the police, they’re so brave that they just shoot - they don’t care, and that shooting leads to them dying most of the time."

Police are now searching for one person linked to this group.

It's believed the gang is also being investigated for other crimes, including robberies, and more murder cases.