Durban – The man who killed two people at the Durban Magistrate’s Court today just before midday, a police officer based in the KwaMashu area, has since been reported dead, he died in hospital after turning the gun on himself earlier today.
KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the policeman had been at O court, inside the building, for divorce proceedings. The man’s wife was also present with her brother before all hell broke loose.
Mbhele said on Monday night that the officer succumbed to his injuries. She said an inquest would be conducted.
Mbhele said that once the matter was about to resume after a tea break, the policeman “immediately” started firing multiple shots towards his wife and her brother. The magistrate was not inside the courtroom yet.
“He then turned the gun on himself and was critically injured. He was rushed to hospital,” she said.
It is believed that the policeman tried to shoot himself in the head. His wife and brother-in-law both died at the scene.
None of the other people in the vicinity of the shooting sustained physical injuries, but several of the court staff and eyewitnesses reported being traumatised.
The courtroom and floor were evacuated and did not open for the rest of the day as police and forensics scoured the crime scene.