The incident happened outside the Reddam House School on Tuesday morning as Mihalik was dropping off his son.

CAPE TOWN – Prominent defence advocate Pete Mihalik has been shot dead outside a school in Cape Town, which has now been placed on lockdown.

The incident happened outside the Reddam House School on Tuesday morning as Mihalik was dropping off his son.

It's understood the boy was wounded in the incident.

Police have confirmed Mihalik was shot but are yet to release any more details.

Police's Noloyiso Rwexana says: “Detectives of the Armed Gang Unit and SAPS Crime Scene experts are combing the scene for clues following a shooting incident that occurred outside in Green Point this morning. The suspect was seen by the witnesses fleeing the scene in a metallic grey VW Polo.”

Mihalik was a well-known figure at the Cape Town bar, an advocate who specialised in defending clients with alleged links to the criminal underworld as well as high-profile gangsters.

His client list read like a who's who of alleged gangsters including 28's gang boss Ralph Stanfield, Irshaad Laher - the alleged leader of a gun peddling ring - and Colin Booysen, brother of alleged Sexy Boys Gang Boss Jerome 'Donkie' Booysen.

Police have confirmed the gang unit is investigating the brazen, broad daylight drive-by shooting that claimed Mihalik's life.

Mihalik was also involved in a high-profile murder case earlier this year defending alleged wife killer Jason Rohde but he withdrew from that case when Rohde was unable to pay his legal bills.

The advocate's associate Noorudien Hassan was also gunned down at his home in Landsdown in 2016.

Mihalik's wife committed suicide that same year.