Police have launched a manhunt for a man who shot and killed a cop in front of his wife in their home on Tuesday afternoon. It is alleged that an unknown man came to the police officer's house in the Mzomusha area in the notorious Inanda township, north of Durban in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) and asked for water.

THE THIRSTY KILLER

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that the killer was given water by the officer's wife. "After drinking the water, the suspect produced a firearm and fired several shots at the officer. The officer was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries,' Netshiunda said. The 48-year-old warrant officer, who has not been named yet, was attached to the crime intelligence unit. A community member who did not want to be named told ZiMoja that he heard about seven rounds of gunshots. "We were seated in the tavern when we heard the sounds of the gunshots. We quickly took cover as we didn't know who the gunmen were, shooting at and from which direction. We only realised that the man was shooting from the house next to where we were when we heard the screams of a woman crying," said the reliable source, who was one of the people to arrive at the scene.

THE HAWKS INVESTIGATING THE MURDER

Netshiunda said he could not comment further on the issue as the case was being investigated by the Hawks. "We still need to do due diligence and we are not in a position to reveal much for now as cops are busy working on the incident. As soon as we are ready to share the information with the public, we will release a statement," he said.