Deadly bar attacks
At least 15 people were killed and several others critically injured in a mass shooting in South Africa when gunmen began to fire “randomly” into a bar early Sunday, authorities said.
Police say they are investigating reports that a group of men arrived in a minibus taxi and opened fire on some of the patrons at the tavern in Johannesburg’s Soweto township shortly after midnight.
Those injured were rushed to a local hospital.
The number of cartridges found on the scene indicates that a group of people opened fire in the bar, according to Gauteng province’s police commissioner, Lt. Gen. Elias Mawela.
“The primary investigation suggests that these people were enjoying themselves here, in a licensed tavern operating within the right hours,” Mawela said.
“All of a sudden they heard some gunshots; that is when people tried to run out of the tavern. We don’t have the full details at the moment of what is the motive, and why they were targeting these people.”
“You can see that a high caliber firearm was used and it was shooting randomly. You can see that every one of those people were struggling to get out of the tavern,” Mawela said.
He said the shooting took place in a dimly lit area — making it difficult to find witnesses who could identify the suspects.
Rifles and a 9mm pistol were
used in the attack, a national police spokeswoman said.
In a separate incident, four people were shot dead by unknown gunmen at a tavern in Sweetwaters township in the coastal city of Pietermaritzburg on Saturday night.
According to police, two men entered the tavern and randomly opened fire on the patrons, killing four people. Police said eight other people were receiving treatment for their wounds. The deceased were between the ages of 30 and 45. The gunmen fled the scene, but cops are investigating charges of murder and attempted murder, police said.
The pair of shootings do not appear to be linked, local police said.
“We do not think the incidents are linked because they took place in different provinces. We are investigating this incident on its own,” said Nqobile Gwala, police spokesperson for KwaZulu-Natal, which includes Pietermaritzburg.