A 10-year-old girl watched her father shoot her mother dead on Wednesday evening, March 20, in Belvedere, Tongaat.
Her father then shot himself and later died in hospital.
The incident happened at Saunders Circle in Belvedere, Tongaat, north of Durban.
Prem Balram, spokesman for the Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), said the RUSA Tongaat Operations Centre received multiple calls from the public reporting the incident. Reaction officers were immediately dispatched and arrived on scene at approximately 5.58pm on Wednesday.
“The reaction officers noted that paramedics from a private ambulance service were in the process of providing emergency medical care to a male who sustained a gunshot to his head. The body of a female with a gunshot wound to her head was discovered on the driveway. She showed no signs of life and was pronounced deceased,” said Mr Balram.
He said that it was established that the man and the female were married but separated. The husband was employed as an Armed Response Officer (ARO) for a national company.
That evening he arrived at his wife’s house, dressed in uniform, driving a branded company vehicle. He was to fetch his 10-year-old daughter when an argument ensued between him and his estranged wife.
Mr Balram said the father then drew his company issued firearm and shot the mother before turning the gun on himself – four spent 9mm cartridges were recovered at the scene.
“The critically injured male was stabilised on scene before being expedited to hospital in a serious condition. The child was visibly traumatised but was not injured. The motive for the shooting has not been established. It was later noted that the father died in hospital, leaving the little girl orphaned.”
KZN police spokesperson Nqobile Gwala said the police are investigating a case of murder.
He added that the circumstances surrounding the incident were under investigation.
“A woman was allegedly shot after a domestic dispute. The suspect also sustained a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital for medical attention where he succumbed to his injuries,” said Mr Gwala.
