Lisa Isaacs
POLICE are baffled at a shooting incident and suicide at Cape Town station yesterday morning.
The Hawks are liaising with police to find the motive for the incident after a man fired shots at the crowd, then killed himself, while a second man fled from security.
Photographs captured on CCTV footage showed two men dressed in black from head to toe crossing Adderley Street.
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said the duo were approached by security guards, but one fled. And after firing a number of shots, the second man shot and killed himself in full view of people on the station concourse, he said.
The police did not release the dead man’s identity.
Smith said the city’s Central City Improvement District (CCID) officers received a complaint from a member of the public about two strange men dressed in black.
“Apparently they had latex gloves over their other gloves. When the CCID approached them, they ran into the station and shot at the CCID security guards,” he said.
“The SAPS arrived and the one man committed suicide with his own weapon, while the other managed to escape.”
Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi said: “The docket is not with us. However, as usual we will liaise with the detectives with a view to finding the motive for the shooting.”
He confirmed that they were not investigating any terrorist cells operating locally.
Yesterday, a large police contingent cordoned off part of the station and pushed back large crowds of onlookers.
The Marine Drive entrance to the Strand Street Concourse at the station was closed as police combed the scene and picked up bullet shells outside the station hours after the incident.
Metrorail spokesperson Riana Scott said security deployment at Cape Town station has been revised.
“We await the outcome of the police report to make further revisions. Metrorail will give our full co-operation where required and await the SAPS report. The train service is operating as usual,” she said.
Witness Rafiek Alaart, a construction worker near the scene, said the commotion started in Adderley Street, where two men, dressed all in black and with only their eyes showing, were confronted by security.
“Security approached them and asked them to open their scarves so they could see their faces,” he said. The men refused and security called for reinforcements as the suspects became agitated, Alaart said.
“The one guy wanted to run away and the security (guard) grabbed him by his hand, but the man pulled away. The other guy pulled out a gun and the security ran away from him to avoid being shot.” Alaart said the man then tried to shoot the security.
“I think he started panicking because people started looking at and shouting at him, and he ran to the station,” he said, adding that the other suspect ran in a different direction. “That was when we heard him shooting in the station.”
Police spokesperson André Traut said they “will not be speculating about the matter until our investigation has reached a more advanced stage”.
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