A vigilante killer has been dubbed ‘John Wick’ and hailed as a hero for hit deadly gang hits.
The unidentified assassin's killing spree started in August and has continued to take out members of South Africa's Boko Haram gang.
The victims are not believed to be affiliated with the Boko Haram terrorist organisation operating elsewhere on the continent.
A total of seven deaths including one last week in the township of Mamelodi, Tshwane have been attributed to the so-called John Wick vigilante – spreading fear among local gang members.
TimesLIVE reports that Phillip Given Mnguni, 35, – a leading member of the gang – is the latest victim whose death led to ‘John Wick’ trending on Twitter.
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Keanu Reeves has played the action hero in blockbuster movies since 2014.
Police spokeswoman Brenda Muridili said eyewitnesses saw someone in a silver Mercedes-Benz shoot at the occupants of a black Volkswagen Polo, causing the driver to lose control.
The local authorities pronounced the driver dead at the scene and the surviving passenger was taken to a nearby hospital with an unspecified number of gunshot wounds.
According to the police, Mnguni was connected to several investigations in Mamelodi regarding the Boko Haram gang.
Gauteng police commissioner Elias Mawela said he was “the number one wanted suspect in our investigations into the Boko Haram activities in Mamelodi”.
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The police commissioner added: “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.”
South African netizens flooded social media with John Wick memes related to the latest suspected killing, with some posts showing some of the alleged criminals killed by the fugitive, but Mawela said they were fake.
Tebogo Mashigo, head of the Community Policing Forum in Mamelodi West, said that residents are praising the vigilante for doing the police’s work.
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However, as the bodies of Boko Haram gang members pile up, the ‘John Wick’ killer may not be the local hero many residents believe he is.
Pretoria News said the vigilante could be linked to the ‘Bafarasai’, a breakaway gang of the Boko Haram gang, which is trying to seize control of the area.
When asked about the public perception of the killings, Brenda Muridili said that locals “know what they know, but the investigation is not corroborating what they know.”
The investigation is ongoing.
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