Alexandra residents march to police station after fatal shooting of woman

Alexandra residents, north of Johannesburg, are marching to the local police station to demand answers following the fatal shooting of a woman on Wednesday night. It is alleged that the woman was shot and killed in crossfire between police and suspects.

Another bystander was shot and wounded during the crossfire.  Alexandra community member Thandi Mthombeni says they blame one of the police officers as it is not the first time he is said to be involved in the killing of innocent civilians.

“He has been killing innocent people. Yesterday (Wednesday) there was a crime scene where there was a hijacking at the Gautrain (station) but when they were by Alex mall, they shot an innocent lady by mistake and she is dead. So we are saying we are tired and we have been complaining about the same guy and nothing has happened. So we are marching to the police station.”

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is probing the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting.

IPID spokesperson Sontaga Siesa, “It is alleged that the woman that was killed was actually a bystander and another bystander was actually shot and injured and taken to hospital. IPID’s investigation is actually focusing on the circumstances surrounding the death of the woman. At this point in time, we cannot say who actually killed the woman, whether it’s the firearm that belongs to the police or the firearm that belongs to the civilian. Nobody is arrested at this point in time.”