Several suspects dead in South Africa after shootout results in the rescue of abducted US pastor

Monday, April 21, 2025 

On Tuesday evening, police in South Africa said three suspects were dead after a "high-intensity shoot-out" during the rescue of US Pastor Josh Sullivan, who was found alive after being kidnapped for ransom during a religious service in the township of Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape of South Africa last week. He was rescued in the same geographical area he was kidnapped in. After his rescue, his condition was described by authorities as "miraculously unharmed."

South Africa's elite police unit, known as the Hawks, were involved in the investigation. According to authorities, the rescue operation involved "verified intelligence wherein a coordinated team [...] moved swiftly to the identified location."

When authorities approached the residence they believed to be Sullivan's location, suspects attempted to escape by vehicle, and promptly opened fire on the authorities. "The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded," according to Hawks spokesperson Avele Fumba. Sullivan was recovered unharmed from the vehicle, and a subsequent medical evaluation found him to be in "excellent condition."

Four armed men had raided a religious sermon that Sullivan was leading on Thursday, April 10, and had kidnapped him at gunpoint. They had escaped in his own vehicle. It had been believed that the suspects had been monitoring Sullivan's family, as the suspects apparently had known Sullivan's name, according to witness Jeremy Hall. Sullivan's vehicle had been discovered nearby, though Sullivan had been nowhere to be found.

Sullivan is a self-described "church planting missionary." He and his family relocated to South Africa from Tennessee in 2018. His wife and six children were among the witnesses to his abduction.

Abundant with gang activity and illegal weapons trade, South Africa has seen an increase in similar kidnappings and gun violence in recent years, which some have attributed to poverty and inequality.