Luke Fleurs.Photo:Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty

Luke Fleurs #5 of Team South Africa makes their way towards the pitch prior to the Men’s First Round Group A match between France and South Africa on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Saitama Stadium on July 25, 2021 in Saitama, Japan.

Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty

South African soccer player Luke Fleurs was killed in a carjacking on Wednesday night in a Johannesburg suburb, according to multiple reports. He was 24.

Fleurs was at a gas station waiting for an attendant when he was shot, Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo told reporters,according to the BBC.

“The suspects pointed [at] him with a firearm and took him out of his vehicle, then shot him once on the upper body,” Masondo said.

One suspect drove away in Fleurs’ vehicle, authorities said.

Luke Fleurs.Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty

Daichi Hayashi of Japan competes for the ball with Luke Fleurs of South Africa during the Men’s First Round Group A match between Japan and South Africa in the Men’s First Round Group A match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Stadium on July 22, 2021 in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan.

Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty

The rising young soccer star had yet to make his debut with the Kaizer Chiefs, where he signed a two-year deal as a free agent last October,CNN reported.

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On Thursday, the teamshared a statementabout the athlete’s sudden, “tragic” death.

“It is with a great deal of sadness that we announce that Kaizer Chiefs player, Luke Fleurs tragically lost his life last night during a hijacking incident in Johannesburg,” the team wrote. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time. May his dear soul rest in peace.”

The South African Football Association called Fleurs’ death “heart-breaking and devastating.”

“This is such a huge loss for his family, friends, his teammates and football in general,” president Danny Jordaan said in a statement, per the BBC.

Fleurs, who was born in Cape Town in 2000, represented South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

A moment of silence will be observed this weekend at all top-flight and second-tier games in memory of Fleurs, officials said.

A special team of detectives has been assigned to investigate the circumstances surrounding Fleurs’ death, Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni said, according to the BBC.

source: people.com