Twelve killed in Johannesburg mass shooting

More than 10 attackers opened fire across an informal settlement in Johannesburg late Tuesday, killing 12 people and wounding at least nine others before fleeing in the same vehicle that had dropped them off, South African police said.

A manhunt was underway Wednesday, and no arrests had been made. Police said the motive for the attack in Cleveland, a suburb of Johannesburg, remained unknown and was part of the ongoing investigation.

Police said the suspects were dropped off near a petrol station by a white Toyota Quantum, a type of minibus, before entering the settlement through both entrances.

“The suspects allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances and moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle,” police said in a statement.

Officers responded to a “complaint of shooting in progress” at about 23:10 local time Tuesday, or 21:10 GMT, according to police. Emergency medical services were also sent to the area to treat the injured.

Eleven people died at the scene, and a 12th died later in hospital. Police said those killed included nine males and three females. The BBC reported that police identified the dead at the scene as eight men and three women, with another man dying from his injuries in hospital. At least nine other people were taken to various medical facilities for treatment of gunshot wounds.

French news agency AFP quoted police Col. Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi as saying the victims who died at the scene were “eight adult males and three adult females.”

Informal settlements in South Africa are unplanned residential areas, often made up of shacks or similar structures. Shootings in such settlements are common in the country and are sometimes linked to gang violence and personal disputes, the BBC reported.

South Africa has one of the world’s highest murder rates, with about 60 people killed each day on average. The country also has millions of firearms in circulation. According to statistics cited by Gideon Joubert of the South African Gunowners’ Association, there are about three million legally held firearms in South Africa and at least the same number of unlicensed weapons.

The Johannesburg area has seen other mass shootings in recent months. CBS News reported that several high-profile mass shootings have occurred in South Africa recently, including two in December that together killed more than 20 people. One of those attacks also involved multiple shooters.

Some shootings have been linked to illegal mining gangs operating in and around Johannesburg, CBS News reported. Cleveland is a suburb connected to illegal mining activity.

Police said the investigation into Tuesday night’s attack was continuing as officers searched for the suspects.