Police Deny Claims 'John Wick' Assassin Is Killing South African Gang Members

A rumoured vigilante killer in South Africa has earned the nickname 'John Wick' and been hailed as a 'hero' by local residents.

However, police say the evidence so far does not suggest the killings are the work of a lone gunman.

Members of the Boko Haram - not affiliated with the terrorist organisation of the same name that operates elsewhere in Africa - began to be assassinated in August. However, not everyone who has been killed is confirmed to have gang affiliations.

The latest incident was in the Mamelodi township in Tshwane, and - as TimesLIVE reports - prominent gang member Phillip Given Mnguni was the man killed.

That death sent the rumour mill into overdrive, with 'John Wick' even trending on Twitter in the area.

The 35-year-old gang member was in a black Volkswagen Polo at the time of the killing, when police say the occupants of a silver Mercedes Benz started shooting at the vehicle.

That caused the person driving the Polo to lose control of the car.

The local authorities say that the driver of the Polo was pronounced dead at the scene, and a passenger who survived the attack suffered several gunshot wounds.

He was taken to a nearby hospital.

According to police, 35-year-old Mnguni was wanted in connection with a number of crimes relating to the Boko Haram gang.

In fact, Gauteng police chief Elias Mawela went as far as to say that he was 'the number one wanted suspect in our investigations into the Boko Haram activities in Mamelodi'.

Commissioner Mawela continued: "The sentiment shared by a lot of people is that it is long overdue. They are happy with the situation. But as the CPF, we are not happy. Whether they are part of the community or gangsters, it is one death too many and it affects everybody."

After that, social media was flooded with John Wick memes.

However, police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the killings are unlikely to be the work of a lone vigilante killer.

She told local news channel eNAC: "With regards to John Wick, it is just something that we believe does not exist because we do not have proof of it.

"Like I said, evidence that we have at our disposal does not suggest that there is a lone gunman going around [killing people].

"Remember that evidence has to support what we say and what we have to say right now is that we sticking to that narrative that we believe it is infighting between the two gangs. They are trying to eliminate one another and then gain authority of some sort."

Pretoria News reckons that the killings could be related to another rival gang called the 'Bafarasai', a splinter of Boko Haram who are trying to claim the territory for themselves.

Muridili added that while locals 'know what they know, the investigation is not corroborating what they know'.

The investigation continues.

Featured Image Credit: Lionsgate

Topics: TV and Film, south africa, Africa, Weird, john wick

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

@TPWagwim