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11 killed in Pretoria shebeen shooting
6 hrs ago |
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At least eleven people, among them a three-year-old boy, were shot dead when gunmen opened fire at an illegal bar in Pretoria during the early hours of Saturday morning. The attack took place at a shebeen in Saulsville township, where patrons had been drinking when the assailants stormed in and began shooting indiscriminately.
Police confirmed that three minors were among the dead - a three-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. Fourteen other people were injured, though details of their conditions or ages were not immediately released. A manhunt has since been launched for three unidentified suspects believed to have fled after the shooting.
"We are told that at least three unknown gunmen entered this hostel where a group of people were drinking and they started randomly shooting," police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told the SABC. She said officers were only alerted to the crime nearly two hours after it happened, with the shootings believed to have occurred around 4:15am.
The motive for the attack remains unclear.
South Africa continues to battle high levels of violent crime, recording an average of around 60 murders per day. Although the country has tight firearm regulations, authorities say illegal guns remain rife and are often linked to fatal shootings.
Mass shootings at bars and shebeens have become increasingly common. In September last year, 18 people were shot dead - 15 of them women - in two separate attacks on the same road in the Eastern Cape. Seven men were later arrested, and police recovered three AK-style rifles believed to have been used.
In 2022, another 16 people were killed in a tavern shooting in Soweto, prompting renewed calls for stronger gun control and improved policing in high-risk communities.
As investigations continue, police have urged anyone with information on the Pretoria gunmen to come forward, warning that the shooters remain at large.
Police confirmed that three minors were among the dead - a three-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. Fourteen other people were injured, though details of their conditions or ages were not immediately released. A manhunt has since been launched for three unidentified suspects believed to have fled after the shooting.
"We are told that at least three unknown gunmen entered this hostel where a group of people were drinking and they started randomly shooting," police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told the SABC. She said officers were only alerted to the crime nearly two hours after it happened, with the shootings believed to have occurred around 4:15am.
The motive for the attack remains unclear.
South Africa continues to battle high levels of violent crime, recording an average of around 60 murders per day. Although the country has tight firearm regulations, authorities say illegal guns remain rife and are often linked to fatal shootings.
Mass shootings at bars and shebeens have become increasingly common. In September last year, 18 people were shot dead - 15 of them women - in two separate attacks on the same road in the Eastern Cape. Seven men were later arrested, and police recovered three AK-style rifles believed to have been used.
In 2022, another 16 people were killed in a tavern shooting in Soweto, prompting renewed calls for stronger gun control and improved policing in high-risk communities.
As investigations continue, police have urged anyone with information on the Pretoria gunmen to come forward, warning that the shooters remain at large.
Source - online
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