An off-duty security officer fatally shot a suspected robber who confronted him with a toy firearm in Ogunjini, KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday, 20 June.
The security officer employed by a Durban-based company was returning home when a man approached him and drew what appeared to be a firearm, demanding his valuables.
The officer responded by drawing his licensed 9mm pistol and firing two shots, striking the suspect in the chest.
The wounded man dropped the weapon, later confirmed to be a toy and fled into nearby bushes, where he collapsed.
Response Team Finds Deceased in Nearby Bush
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) received a call for assistance at around 20:19.
On arrival, officers found the suspect’s body approximately five metres from the roadside. Officers recovered the toy firearm at the scene.
The security officer had previously survived a robbery.
The security officer told RUSA that four armed men robbed him on the same stretch of road a week earlier, taking his Samsung cellphone and wallet.
Following that incident, he began carrying his firearm for protection. The attempted robbery on Friday did not injure him.
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