A father, his teenage son and his 61-year-old neighbour were shot and killed during a home invasion in the early hours of Tuesday morning, KwaZulu-Natal police said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said the father, his son and the boy's mother were at their Arboretum home in Richards Bay when unknown men accosted the family at 00:45.
"They fatally shot a 42-year-old father, his 17-year-old son, and his mother sustained injuries to the thigh and was taken to hospital for medical attention.
"A 61-year-old neighbour who went to check after hearing screams was also shot [in] the chest. He was declared dead at the scene."
Mbele said they were investigating charges of murder and attempted murder.
According to community policing forum Arbovlei CPF, the attackers gained entry by cutting the property's razor coil fencing and jumping the wall, and escaped via the same route.
Another cop killed
In a separate incident, a Durban police officer was also shot dead after he allegedly attempted to break up a fight during a car show over the weekend.
Mbele said Warrant Officer Jody Barrend Fenner and another man in his late 20s were injured during the event in Ogle Road, Wentworth, on Youth Day.
"The victims sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to hospital where a police officer died on arrival. Wentworth police are investigating a case of murder and attempted murder."
She said police had arrested a 35-year-old suspect who would appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court soon.
The two cases come on the same day that four men accused of killing two Durban metro police officers appeared in the the Verulam Magistrate's Court.
The four are set to face a further extra charges related to a house robbery, which they allegedly committed after the cops' murder in Phoenix last month, News24 reported.
They are accused of gunning down Sergeant Zephinia Dladla, 61, and Constable Sonto Mhlanga, 40, who were guarding the home of Ward 52 councillor Moses Zulu in Bhambayi.
