South African footballer Luke Fleurs was shot dead in a car hijacking, his team says.
The shooting took place at a petrol station on Wednesday night in the Johannesburg suburb of Florida.
The 24-year-old was waiting to be attended to when he was approached by unknown gunmen, who ordered him to get out of the vehicle.
One of the suspects fled the scene with Fleurs’ car after the shooting.
“The suspects pointed [at] him with a firearm and took him out of his vehicle, then shot him once on the upper body,” Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo told local media.
Fleurs is said to have been shot dead after refusing to comply.
His team, Kaizer Chiefs said the death was tragic.
It said police were handling the matter and further details would be communicated in due course.
Defender Fleurs joined Kaiser Chiefs last year. He previously played for SuperSport United.
On its website, Kaiser Chiefs describes Fleurs as a “classy defender” with “great technical abilities”.
He began his career in 2013 in the Ubuntu Cape Town Academy, according to local media.
Fleurs, 24, joined Kaizer Chiefs in October 2023 after a spell at SuperSport United. He signed a two-year deal with an option to extend.
Chiefs, who signed him on a free transfer in October last year, have confirmed the news of his death.
Football fans have taken to social media to mourn him.
Fleurs was a talented player who rose through the ranks of the SuperSport academy and showed immense potential.
Fans were eagerly anticipating his debut in the gold and black of the Chiefs, a debut that will now tragically never come.
The Chiefs faithful had high hopes for the former South Africa youth international, seeing him as a future stalwart at the back.
His absence leaves a void not only on the pitch but within the entire Chiefs family.
A year ago, Stellenbosch FC and South Africa Under-20 midfielder Oshwin Andries died after suffering multiple stab wounds.
Andries, who was captain of the South Africa U-20 men’s team, died at the age of 19, six days after being stabbed repeatedly.
By Agencies
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