South African police announced on Wednesday that they had arrested six suspects for the murder of football star Luke Fleurs, who played for popular Johannesburg club Kaizer Chiefs. The 24-year-old defender was shot dead last week while refueling his car at a gas station in a northwest suburb of the city, in the latest incident to shock a country beset by violence. crime.
“Police have arrested six suspects for hijacking and murder,” said police spokesperson Mavela Masondo (SAPS).
Authorities said Fleurs was waiting to be served at a gas station in his Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI when he was confronted by two men who ordered him out of the vehicle at gunpoint.
Kaizer Chiefs
Once he got out of his car, they shot him before leaving with his vehicle.
Masondo said the arrests took place early Wednesday in Soweto township, southwest of Johannesburg, two days after detectives recovered Fleurs’ car.
Investigators believe the suspects are part of a crime syndicate responsible for other carjackings in Johannesburg’s Gauteng province.
“The search for other suspects continues,” Masondo said.
Flowers has previously played for the national under-23 team, representing South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics. Kaizer Chiefs are one of South Africa’s best teams, having won a record 53 domestic trophies.
South Africa is suffering from a rising violent crime rate, a key political issue ahead of May’s general election, with opposition parties pointing the finger at government failure.
The country recorded nearly 84 murders per day between October and December, according to official figures.
Every day, 31 people are killed by guns in South Africa, according to Gun Free South Africa, a nonprofit organization that advocates for a reduction in gun violence.
Last April, 10 members of the same family – including a 13-year-old – were killed in a mass shooting at their home in South Africa.
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