Durban: An alleged notorious gang leader linked to multiple violent crimes was killed in a shootout with police in Verulam on Thursday afternoon.
Police said the 22-year-old man, who was allegedly the leader of the Inanda West Gang, and his 27-year-old accomplice were killed during a shootout with law enforcement officers in Cottonlands.
According to police, intelligence had indicated that the gang leader and his two associates were travelling to uMhlanga to collect drugs and ammunition.
Officers tracked their movements and followed them after they swapped vehicles, eventually catching up with them on Vincent Dickinson Road.
"When police approached their vehicle, the suspects opened fire at the police and a shootout ensued," said provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
He added that the gang leader had a warrant out for his arrest in a murder case and was linked to more than 20 other crimes, including various murders, attempted murder, robbery, intimidation, and arson.
The police recovered a firearm from the suspect, and further searches were under way.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi commended the officers involved in the operation.
"The ideal situation would be for the police to have arrested the suspect alive so that he could face his charges in court and bring closure to many of his victims and their families," he said.
"He unfortunately attempted to kill police officers, and such an act invited the police to defend themselves. In doing so, he decided his own fate."