6 Arrested Over Olympian's Murder

UPDATE Apr 10, 2024 8:13 AM CDT

Arrests have been made in last week's murder of a South African soccer star and Olympian. Police on Wednesday said six people have been arrested in connection with Luke Fleurs' murder at a gas station. Two men reportedly ordered the 24-year-old out of his Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI at gunpoint and shot him before driving off. CBS News and the BBC report Fleurs' stripped car was recovered on Monday. Investigators believe the suspects are part of a syndicate that is behind other carjackings in Johannesburg's Gauteng province. Police say they continue to search for additional suspects.

Apr 4, 2024 12:35 PM CDT

South African footballer and Olympian Luke Fleurs has been killed in a carjacking in Johannesburg, his Kaizer Chiefs club said on Thursday. The 24-year-old defender was shot Wednesday night while waiting for service at a gas station in the Honeydew suburb in Johannesburg, according to police. "The suspects pointed [at] him with a firearm and took him out of his vehicle, then shot him once on the upper body," police rep Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo told local media, per the BBC. Masondo said the attackers fled with Fleur's vehicle and police are investigating.

"We are profoundly shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic and untimely passing of one of our players, Luke Fleurs," reads a statement from the Kaizer Chiefs, which the BBC describes as "one of the most popular clubs in the country." The statement notes that Fleurs signed a 2-year deal with the club in October and had "yet to make an official appearance ... although he had sat on the bench for the team." Fleurs previously played for the national under-23 side, representing South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, reports CNN.

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Fleurs is the latest among thousands of people who are victims to fatal hijackings in South Africa, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world. The AP reports the latest official crime statistics from October-December last year showed 5,973 hijacking cases reported. (More carjacking stories.)