An elderly homeowner opened fire on three intruders who invaded his Old Seaview Road home on Friday night.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the attempted robbery happened at about 8.30pm, while the man, 64, and his wife were entertaining friends at their property, which is in a complex.
“As the group were in the lounge, they noticed the men approaching them from the passage.
“Two of the males had crowbars while the third male was armed with a knife.
“The suspect with a crowbar attacked the male visitor by assaulting him over the head with the crowbar.
“The second suspect, also armed with a crowbar, attacked the complainant by also hitting him over the head.”
Naidu said the complainant managed to grab his licensed firearm and fired shots at the suspects, who fled on foot.
“While police were still at the house, neighbourhood watch members informed them that a body was lying in bushes not far from the house in Rocco Street,” she said.
The dead man, aged about 25, had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest.
Naidoo said Walmer detectives were still investigating whether the attempted house robbery and the killing were linked.
The complainant’s firearm had been confiscated for ballistic analysis, she said.
Private security company members believe the shooting has dealt a serious blow to an infamous robbery gang that has been plaguing the owners of smallholdings in areas such as Theescombe, Kragga Kamma and Greenbushes in recent months.
Tac Net Private Security owner Abri Pienaar said the company had been conducting an operation with the police in the area when the alarm was raised.
They responded to the scene within three minutes and managed to block off and search the area with the help of the neighbourhood watch, Farm Comm, Dark Water Ops Private Security and police officials.
However, there was no sign of the missing suspects.
On Sunday, Naidu confirmed that police had yet to make any arrests
Cases of attempted house robbery and murder were under investigation, she said.
For months, a group of organised criminals has managed to get away with hundreds of thousands of rand in stolen items, leaving a string of traumatised homeowners in Theescombe, Seaview, Kragga Kamma and Greenbushes in their wake.
Many of the robberies occur on smallholdings.
Pienaar was quoted by The Herald last week as saying: “We are anticipating the night when there will be a firefight, and that is never a pleasant experience.”
At the time, Naidu warned the public to be more alert because in most of the robberies, residents were caught off-guard and had not properly secured their homes.
HeraldLIVE
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