South African police said on Wednesday they had arrested six suspects in the murder of Luke Fleurs, a footballer who played for popular Johannesburg club Kaizer Chiefs. The 24-year-old defender was shot last week while refueling his car at a gas station in the city's northwest suburbs, the latest incident to shock the crime-ridden nation.
Police spokesperson Mabela Masondo (SAPS) said: “Police have arrested six suspects on suspicion of hijacking and murder.”
Authorities said Fleur was waiting to refuel at a gas station in his Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI when he was confronted by two men who ordered him to get out of the car at gunpoint.
When he got out of the car, they shot him and then drove away.
Mr Masondo said the arrest was made early on Wednesday morning in Soweto County, southwest of Johannesburg, two days after detectives recovered Mr Fleur's car.
Investigators believe the suspects are part of a criminal organization responsible for other car hijackings in Johannesburg and Gauteng.
“The search continues for additional suspects,” Masondo said.
Fleur previously represented South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics for the Under-23s. Kaiser's Chiefs are one of his top teams in South Africa and domestically he has won a record 53 trophies.
South Africa is suffering from a sharp rise in violent crime rates, a key political issue ahead of May's general election, with opposition parties pointing to perceived government failures.
According to official statistics, the country recorded almost 84 murders per day between October and December.
According to Gun Free South Africa, a non-profit organization that advocates for reducing gun violence, 31 people die every day in South Africa from guns.
Last April, 10 members of the same family A 13-year-old child was also killed in a shooting at a home in South Africa.
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