Cape Town - A 42-year-old man alleged to be affiliated with gangs is expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court today following the fatal shooting of 26-year-old police constable Ashwin Pedro.
Pedro was shot on Friday afternoon while his partner reacted to information about an armed suspect in Blackbird Avenue, Grassy Park.
During an altercation with the suspect, Pedro sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his chest. His partner escaped the scene unharmed.
Pedro is the first police officer to have been killed in the city since the release of the second quarter crime statistics for 2022/23, and after the fatal shooting of an off-duty 39-year-old sergeant stationed at Cape Town Central who was shot and killed in cold blood in Samora Machel when he was attacked by armed criminals in front of his residence.
Pedro is also the second victim to be killed in the Parkwood area while conducting his work after Abongile Mafalala, an e-hailing taxi driver, was brutally murdered in a mob justice attack in July.
Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the 9mm pistol the perpetrator stole during the altercation with the SAPS members was found in his possession and confiscated. He said the circumstances surrounding the incident were still being probed by Hawks investigators.
Five police officers were killed between July and September this year. According to the second quarter crime statistics for 2022/23, four of these officers were off duty, while one was on duty.
Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen, who commended the police and other law enforcement agencies for their swift action, said the justice system had to spring into action, and the suspect had to face the full might of the law.
“My hope is that the judge will make an example of this ruthless killer, as he does not deserve to live among us,” he said.