Three men who shot and killed a police officer in Vosloorus, south of Boksburg, might be linked to the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court escape in May, police said on Thursday.

Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said police officers spotted a suspicious car with false number plates during their routine patrols on Wednesday evening.

Dlamini said when officers stopped and approached the vehicle, one of the three men opened fire on them, shooting one officer in the upper body.

Warrant Officer Sipho Boy Mthetwa died on the scene.

Mthetwa was an officer in Vosloorus.

Police managed to arrest two men while a third fled the scene on foot.

Dlamini said they recovered an R5 rifle with a bag of ammunition and one suspected stolen VW Jetta.

He said they were investigating the possibility that the three men might be linked to the group of eight suspects who escaped from the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on May 17.

The suspects escaped while they were being loaded into a police truck, by overpowering the police officers and the court guards.

They were appearing in court for various serious and violent crimes, including robbery and murder.

News24