A mall in Westville, Durban, was the scene of an intense shootout between police and criminals attempting to flee the scene of a robbery at the Village Market on Thursday.

Two armed men allegedly held employees hostage while they robbed the business of an undisclosed amount of money, reports SowetanLIVE.

Footage captured of the gunfight has now gone viral on social media.

A pre-warning that the following video contains graphic visuals, including the moment one of the criminals is shot dead:

The second man managed to escape, later discarding the getaway car and setting it alight.

Rescue Care spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said paramedics arrived at the scene and found one person dead. Two others were treated at the scene.

A case of robbery and an inquest docket were opened at Westville police station.

“A follow-up operation is under way to hunt the suspects down,” said Mbele.

The investigation is ongoing.

A shout-out to the brave police officers who kept it together when the bullets started flying.

[source:sowetanlive]