Share

Bedfordview shooting: Night spent collecting evidence

Johannesburg - A police forensic team spent hours overnight collecting evidence in the Bedford Centre shooting case, the Hawks said on Friday.

"Forensics were at the centre the whole night collecting all the evidence," Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said.

Police had handed the investigation into the daytime robbery and shootout at the popular retail shopping centre in Bedfordview over to specialist unit the Hawks.

Three customers, two security guards and two robbers were injured and taken to hospital after the robbery and shooting on Thursday.

They were taken to different hospitals, and are all still recovering.

He dismissed a Beeld report that the mastermind of the shooting had been arrested.

"How do they know one is a mastermind? We are not aware of any mastermind," he said.

"Only two suspects were arrested and are in hospital. We will obviously be interviewing them."

He said a group of around 10 robbers had committed the crime.

Ammunition reports rubbished

"These are highly dangerous criminals that perpetrated a crime inside the mall where there is a lot of people. It shows they have no regard for human life."

Mulaudzi also rubbished reports that tungsten ammunition, which can pierce bulletproof vests, was used.

"We are not aware of those bullets and it is unknown how many rounds were fired inside the centre."

Police were only aware of AK47s and pistols being used.

Mulaudzi said he was unsure if the centre had re-opened.

Witnesses calling into radio stations on Friday morning spoke of the good work and the efficiency of the SA Police Service in the incident.

One witness told 94.7 Highveld Stereo that police responded to the crime scene faster than the centre's management.

Mulaudzi said it took police between 15 to 20 minutes to get there.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do airplane mishaps have any effect on which airline you book your flights with?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, these things happen. I pick based on price
49% - 683 votes
Yes, my safety matters. I don't take any chances
51% - 724 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.09
+0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.75
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.42
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.43
-0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
920.60
+0.1%
Palladium
1,029.00
+0.3%
Gold
2,325.61
+0.2%
Silver
27.34
+0.1%
Brent Crude
88.42
+1.6%
Top 40
68,051
0.0%
All Share
74,011
0.0%
Resource 10
59,613
0.0%
Industrial 25
102,806
0.0%
Financial 15
15,897
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE