Drive-By Shooting in Verulam CBD Leaves Two Injured

A peaceful evening in Verulam Central Business District (CBD) in KwaZulu-Natal was shattered when a drive-by shooting left two men with serious injuries. The incident occurred on busy Wick Street, a place frequented by local shoppers and business personnel.

The sound of gunfire broke the tranquility of the early evening at around 18:14, sending the community into a state of panic. Concerned business owners and pedestrians quickly alerted the Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) Verulam Operations Centre, reporting multiple shots fired in an apparent targeted attack.

Reacting to the distress signals, Reaction Officers were deployed immediately to the scene. Upon their arrival, they were greeted with a grisly sight: a man lay helpless in the driver’s seat of a silver Volkswagen Polo, suffering from gunshots to his body and face. In a tragic turn of events, a stray bullet had also struck a security officer in the thigh, making him the unintended victim of the violence that unfolded.

Trained paramedics from RUSA, alongside teams from KZN VIP, rushed to provide life-saving measures. Their prompt intervention and medical expertise allowed them to stabilize the injured individuals before they were expedited to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

The aftermath of the shooting presented a chaotic crime scene, with several 9mm and rifle cartridges scattered across the area - evidence of the intense gunfire exchange. A key piece of the puzzle was the abandoned white Volkswagen Polo, with its rear window shattered by the barrage of bullets, discovered right in front of the critically injured man’s vehicle. Investigators are looking into whether this abandoned car could have belonged to the suspects.

In the backdrop of the chaos, eyewitnesses described a silver Hyundai Elantra, battered at the rear end, making a hasty escape from the scene. However, with the registration unknown, its connection to the shooting and the identities of those within remains a mystery.

Currently, the motivations behind this violent assault are still unclear. The investigation is ongoing as law enforcement officers comb through witness accounts and forensic evidence to piece together the events that unfolded in this ordinarily bustling commercial hub.

The incident has struck a chord with the community of Verulam, raising alarms about the safety and security of the citizens and questioning the broader implications for public safety.