Durban - Police shot dead a 25-year-old man on Wednesday who had just appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court.
Police spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Shooz Magudulela, said the man escaped from the police vehicle after appearing in court.
“Police fired warning shots to prevent him from escaping and he was struck and died at the scene,” said Magudulela.
The police are mum on where the shooting happened - whether inside the courthouse, yard or on the street.
Provincial police spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane, said the matter was now in the hands of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
“The dockets have been taken already and therefore we can’t comment further on the matter. All we can say is that the suspect had been arrested for robbery and he was remanded in custody.
“It is now regarded as death in custody, hence the involvement of Ipid to investigate if our members have acted lawfully in handling the situation,” said Zwane.
He said an inquest docket had been opened. Attempts to get comment from Ipid were unsuccessful.
Daily News