Gunmen invaded an informal village outside Johannesburg overnight, killing 12 people, South African authorities said Wednesday.
It was the latest mass shooting in the crime-ridden country, which averages more than 60 homicides every day.
The gunmen attack occurred just after 11:00 p.m. Tuesday, when more than ten armed individuals were driven to the location and invaded the hamlet, according to a police spokesman.
“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,” she said.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that 12 people died as a result of the attack,” Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said.
“Eight adult males and three adult females were declared dead at the scene,” she said. One person died in the hospital.
The gunmen’s attack was in an area called Cleveland, about six kilometers (less than four miles) east of the Johannesburg city center.
Nevhuhulwi stated that the motivation for the attack was unknown, and no arrests had been made.
South Africa is rife with legal and illegal firearms, and shootings are frequent, typically fueled by gang rivalry and competition among informal companies.
