A 21-year-old Beit Bridge resident was shot dead by a local security guard, after he was caught stealing from a parked South African haulage truck, police have said.

The local police spokesperson, C/Supt Lawrence Chinhengo,said the incident occurred on Thursday at around 23:00. “The victim was among a group of three men who intended to steal from a South Africa truck, which was parked at a local truck inn. The suspects, who were armed with iron bars and knives, emerged from a nearby bushy area and the victim then jumped into the truck and took a Nokia N500 cellphone, which was on the driver’s seat,” he said.

The victim, identified as Munyaradzi Bisa from Dulibadzimu suburb in the border town, was spotted however, by an alert armed security guard manning the truck port. “The security guard fired a warning shot, using a .303 rifle, ordering the fleeing Bisa to stop, but the man ignored the gunshot and continued running. This prompted the guard to shoot him in the left thigh and he fell down,” Chinhengo said.

He was then rushed to Beit Bridge District Hospital, where he died on admission. The stolen cellphone was also recovered.

Chinhengo said the other two suspects managed to flee in different directions.

“We suspect Bisa and his friends might be linked to a well-organised syndicate involved in stealing from trucks. We are appealing to community members to assist us with information that could possibly lead to the arrest of the two suspects,” said the police spokesperson.