The man is also suspected to have assaulted and raped his girlfriend.

This is according to the police watchdog - the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). 

A spokesperson for the IPID, Grace Langa, in a statement says the suspect, who is said to have been released from prison earlier, was shot four times after a tussle with the police in Hertz Boulevard.

The deceased suspect is alleged to have raped and assaulted his girlfriend as well as killed a woman on 23 December 2021. It's unclear as to what might have led to the killing of the woman and assault of the girlfriend at the hands of the deceased.

"IPID is investigating a case of death as a result of police action (murder). It is alleged that on Friday the 24th of December at about 01:54 a.m. members of [SAPS] from Vanderbijlpark received information about a wanted suspect who was accused of murdering a woman, raping his girlfriend and then brutally assaulting her yesterday [Thursday] the 23rd of December 2021," she adds.

The suspect is alleged to have threatened and broken windows at a certain house in that area, and later got in a squabble with the police when they allegedly tried to disarm him. The suspect had a knife. Langa says during the tussle the suspect overpowered one police officer and took his gun.

"The police officer, after seeing that the suspect had a gun pointed towards him, then pulled out his firearm and shot the suspect in the abdomen," she further adds.

The suspect succumbed to his injuries as a result of four gunshots and he was declared dead on the scene. 

The deceased is said to have sustained gunshot wounds in the abdomen, right thigh, right middle finger and left thumb.

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