Police officer kills his wife in a courtroom in South Africa

A police officer on leave opened fire in a divorce court in South Africa on Monday, killing his wife and brother during a break in court proceedings.

The incident in Durban, a port city in southeastern South Africa, occurred on the eighth floor of the Regional District Court building, when the court heard the cancellation case. opposing the couple.

"At 11 o'clock in the morning … the suspect shot at the wife and his brother, and both died on the scene," a police spokesman told AFP on Friday. Colonel Thembeka Mbele, adding that the audience was about to resume after the break.

Both victims received several gunshot wounds, she said.

The suspect, 32, returned the gun but survived.

"He tried to commit suicide and was taken to the hospital in critical condition," she said.

Mbele confirmed that the suspect was a police officer on leave.

According to local sources, the two victims were in the public gallery of the court when the shooter tried to talk to them before opening fire.

The TimesLive online newspaper of South Africa said that visibly shaken court staff, including clerks and interpreters, were escorted from the building.

Security is generally enhanced in South African courts, where visitors and workers pbad metal detectors and beam bags.

Police are allowed to enter with their firearms if they are on duty.