Twelve dead in Johannesburg shooting, police say
Getty Images
At least 12 people have been killed in a mass shooting in a Johannesburg neighborhood, South African police said.
They say nine other people were injured in the attack on Tuesday evening in an informal settlement in Cleveland and that a manhunt for the suspects is underway.
“It is alleged that more than ten suspects were dropped off by a white Toyota Quantum near a gas station in Cleveland,” police said in a statement.
“The suspects reportedly entered the informal settlement through the two entrances and moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members in several locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle,” the statement added.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with around 60 people killed per day on average.
Shootings in informal settlements are very common in the country and are sometimes linked to gang violence and personal conflicts.
Local police said their officers responded to a “complaint about a shooting in progress” on Tuesday around 11:10 p.m. local time (9:10 p.m. GMT).
Emergency medical services were also deployed to treat the injured.
Police said eight men and three women died at the scene, while another man died of his injuries in hospital.
At least nine other people were taken to various medical facilities for treatment of gunshot wounds.
The police statement said “the motive for the attack is currently unknown and is part of the ongoing investigation.”
There are around three million legally owned firearms in South Africa and at least as many unlicensed guns, according to statistics cited by Gideon Joubert of the South African Gun Owners Association.
