Free State police said an alleged robber shot himself in the head as police and local farmers closed in following an attack on a Smithfield farm.
Spokesperson, Constable Peter Kareli, said the drama unfolded on New Year’s Eve when two men attacked an elderly couple on their farm.
“They allegedly started assaulting them with a steel rod, demanding money and firearms," Kareli said.
He said the pair managed to access the safe and stole four firearms and ammunition but they fled when the alarm went off and local farmers and Smithfield police responded.
He said one of the suspects was spotted and he dropped a bag and jumped over a fence into a muddy wetland surrounded by long grass.
Captain Kareli said whilst approaching the area a single gunshot was heard and the man’s body was found as well as a firearm stolen during the robbery.
The second man fled in the couple's vehicle and is still at large.
African News Agency (ANA)
