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Family of Essex surgeon shot dead 'grateful for love and support'

Teoh family Professor Lew Schon, Professor of Orthopaedics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine with Dr Kar Hao Teoh. Both are wearing surgical scrubs.Teoh family
Kar Hao Teoh (right) was killed while on holiday in South Africa

The family of a British surgeon who was shot dead in a car in South Africa have thanked people for their "outpouring of love and support" after his funeral.

Kar Hao Teoh, 40, a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, was killed in Cape Town on 3 August.

Police said he took a wrong turn into the path of protesters.

His family said it was a testament to his character that he "was able to touch the lives of so many".

Mr Teoh, who lived in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, was among five people killed in riots during the taxi strike in Cape Town, police previously said.

Teoh family Kar Hao Teoh in a black and white photo. He is wearing a morning suit with flower corsage in lapel.Teoh family
Kar Hao Teoh's family have said the love they have been shown shows the way he touched people's lives

An inquest which was opened and adjourned in Essex on Thursday heard the car was approached by an unknown person and he was shot in the head.

In a statement, the family said they could not offer clarity on the circumstances leading up to his murder due to the investigation being ongoing.

They appealed for any witnesses with information to contact local authorities.

Department of Orthopaedics, Princess Alexandra Hos Kar Hao Teoh with six men and a woman, his arms around those standing either side of themDepartment of Orthopaedics, Princess Alexandra Hos
The death of Kar Hao Teoh (second left, with his colleagues), had sparked an "outpouring of international mourning", his family said

"We hope that justice will be served so no one shall have to suffer such profound loss as we have," they added.

His cousin Dr Sancy Low said: "Kar Hao found his independence from an early age. He was a brother to many and knitted families of people together with his unassuming and caring nature."

Paying tribute after his funeral, Mr Teoh's colleagues at the Princess Alexandra said: "Kar Hao's career and life was nothing short of inspiring. He was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

"He was kind enough to want to make changes that improved the lives of everyone around him, and brilliant enough to go ahead and actually make them."

Cape Town Police have said they are treating his death as murder but no arrests have been made.

They said the victim was found by officers and the car's other passengers, including an infant, were taken to hospital for treatment.

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