McDonald’s has confirmed that two people killed after their taxi was caught in the crossfire between police and suspected robbers on Monday were employees of the Kuils River franchise. The shooting follows a police shooting in Cape Town where a Nando’s employee was mistakenly killed on her way home from work, News24 reported earlier this month.

Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesperson Robbie Raburabu confirmed the unit was investigating the McDonald’s shooting, which also resulted in the injury of three co-workers and the death of two of the alleged robbers.

“According to the police, they received information of a possible robbery at the Caltex garage in Kuils River.

“After the incident, police gave chase of a Quantum with five occupants, who opened fire.”

During the chase a second Quantum – transporting the workers – was noticed at the scene, and was thought to be blocking the road.

“The [officers] seemed to have thought the second Quantum blocking their way was with the [alleged robbers]. They were caught in the crossfire,” Raburabu said.

It later emerged that the second taxi was transporting the McDonald’s Kuils River employees following the end of their shift in the early hours of this morning.

‘Shocked, horrified’

McDonald’s SA CEO Greg Solomon said he is “shocked, horrified and deeply saddened”.

The company said counselling was being provided to those involved in the incident, the families of the victims and the staff in the restaurant.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut would only confirm that a robbery had taken place at a Kuilsriver garage and that two incidents occurred during which four people were killed and three were injured.

Owing to the Ipid investigation, police would not comment further.

Nando’s employee incident

Forensic expert David Klatzow, meanwhile, has agreed to investigate a police shooting in Cape Town that saw a Nando’s employee being mistakenly killed on her way home from work, News24 reported earlier this month.

Klatzow has been hired by Nando’s to investigate the murder of Phumeza Fudumele, a mother-of-two and employee of the fast food chain in Sandowns near Table View, Cape Town.

The restaurant chain’s business development director Trudi van Niekerk said the shooting apparently happened when their staff members were on their way home to Dunoon after an evening shift, News24 reported.

Western Cape police say they shot at the Toyota Avanza the restaurant’s employees were travelling in because the vehicle matched the description of one used in ATM bombings earlier that day. Ipid told News24 that its investigation into the Table View incident is “on track”.

[Source: News24]