Three suspects who were wanted for at least ten cases of murder were shot and killed in a shootout with police in Empangeni in the early hours of Friday morning. The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Stabilization Team, which also forms part of Operation Vala uMgodi, received intelligence about the suspects, who were hiding at a house in KwaDlangezwa, said the South African Police Service (SAPS) in a statement. When the police announced their presence, the suspects opened fire, sparking a shootout which ended with the three suspects being fatally wounded. The suspects, who were also alleged to have been involved in an ATM bombing incident in Esikhaleni which left one suspect fatally wounded on Thursday, were found in possession of at least two firearms. The crime scene was yet to be properly searched for more exhibits. KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has reiterated that criminals who shoot at the police should expect the same kind of response. "Police officers have a mandate to arrest and bring perpetrators to justice, however if police find themselves under gunfire, the only option they have in order to come out alive is through the return of fire," he said. Source: South African Government News Agency