Johannesburg — Multiple attackers killed 12 people and wounded at least nine in a late-night mass shooting in Johannesburg, police said Wednesday, the latest in such attacks that have shaken the South African city.
Police said they believe more than 10 suspects were dropped off in a minibus in an informal settlement in the Cleveland suburb of Johannesburg late Tuesday night and started shooting.
The attackers “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.
The victims were nine men and three women, according to police. Eleven died at the scene and the 12th died in a hospital.
Police are searching for the attackers and no arrests have been made. The motive for the shootings was unclear, they said.
Informal settlements in South Africa are unplanned residential areas usually made up of shacks or similar structures.
There have been several high-profile mass shootings in South Africa recently, including two in December that killed more than 20 people in all. One of those also involved multiple shooters.
The shootings are sometimes linked to illegal mining gangs that operate in and around Johannesburg. Cleveland is a suburb connected to illegal mining activity.
Police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni said the attackers were “heartless” but refused to link the killings to illegal mining until the investigations was complete.
“We are still investigating, but what we have seen here is a criminal act. We have deployed all required units,” he said, adding that crime intelligence officials have also been deployed to the area.
South Africa has one of the world’s highest murder rates, with an average of about 60 a day.
