Staff Reporter
Free State police have launched a double inquest after a man and a woman, believed to be lovers, were found dead with gunshot wounds inside a car in Bayswater, Bloemfontein.
Provincial police spokesperson Thandi Mbambo said in a statement released Friday night the bodies of the pair, believed to be from eastern Free State, were found at about 8am near the Gwen Bali Water World on the north-eastern outskirts of the city.
Mbambo said police made the gruesome finding after a community member reported that a vehicle had been parked at the waterpark from the previous night.
The engine of the car was still running and the lights were on.
“Members attended to the complaint and on arrival at the scene they found a Gold Opel Zafira with two occupants,” she said.
Mbambo said the male, 41, and the woman, 31, both had gunshot wounds to the head.
“The firearm was in between the male occupants’ legs. Both occupants were certified dead at the scene,” according to the police spokesperson.
It was later established that the vehicle and firearm belonged to the deceased man.
“Further investigation revealed that the deceased male is an IT specialist from Bohlokong, Bethlehem, and that the female deceased is his girlfriend and is originally from Phuthaditjhaba and a student at the Central University of Technology,” Mbambo said.
It is believed the woman was last seen on Thursday saying she was going to meet her boyfriend, who is the deceased.
The two, said Mbambo, are believed to have had an argument earlier on.
The names of the deceased cannot be released until their next of kin have been informed and their bodies positively identified.
Meanwhile, Mangaung police station has been temporarily closed after one of its officers tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement, police said the community service centre will now be operating from Lesley Monnanyane Hall behind the Home Affairs offices on Moshoeshoe Road.
The closure will allow for the decontamination of the place as well the screening and testing of other officers.
Close contacts of the infected person will also be traced during this period.
The community has been advised to call 10111 for all emergencies and complaints.
The telephone lines at the police station will not be accessible for the duration of closure.