News24 reports that a Table View policeman was shot dead on Friday morning while responding to a robbery and hostage situation in Cape Town.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said police received a call for help during a robbery at Killarney Gardens. Police and a security company rushed to the scene where four people were robbing a business at the industrial park, while holding staff hostage at gunpoint. However, instead of surrendering, the robbers ran out, brazenly shooting at the police in a bid to get away. Police returned fire, and the area quickly became the scene of a shootout between the robbers and police. "Sadly, a 48-year-old police sergeant from Table View, who sustained a gunshot wound to his head, died on arrival at a medical facility in the area," Potelwa reported. One of his colleagues was shot in the leg. A 34-year-old man suspected to have been one of the robbers was wounded and arrested at the scene, and another, a 36-year-old, was arrested further afield, also with a gunshot wound. Police launched an extensive search to track down the rest of the gang. The Hawks are investigating cases of murder, attempted murder and armed robbery.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jenni Evans at News24

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