Bloemfontein - Three men accused of killing a Free State policeman during a robbery appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The case against Motlatsi Mphou, Motlatsi Namane and Khadebe Mohlalisi was postponed to January 24 for a formal bail hearing.
The men were allegedly part of a group of four gunmen who robbed a shop in Kopanong, Bloemfontein, last week.
When they tried to flee, police arrived and they ran back into the shop.
They re-emerged from the shop with guns blazing, hitting Sergeant Molahlehi Ephraim Mokhasi, 41, who died at the scene.
The robbers ran away with cash, a laptop, and a police service pistol, but two kilometres away other police officers and the Bloemfontein dog unit confronted them.
During the ensuing shootout, a female constable from the dog unit was wounded in the leg and hand, and a third bullet struck her bullet-proof vest. Another police officer was wounded in the hand.
One of the gunmen was killed in the shooting.
The three men face charges of murder, attempted murder and armed robbery with aggravating circumstances. - Sapa