Gunmen opened fire at a hostel in Pretoria on Saturday, killing 11 people — including a three-year-old child — in one of South Africa’s latest mass shootings, police said.
Gunmen stormed a hostel in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, on Saturday, killing 11 people, including a three-year-old child, police said.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed that 25 people were shot in the early-morning attack, with 14 others taken to hospital. Ten victims died at the scene, while one succumbed to injuries in hospital. Among the young victims were a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.
The shooting took place at a hostel in the Saulsville township, about 18 kilometres west of Pretoria. According to Mathe, three gunmen entered the premises at around 4:30 am and opened fire indiscriminately at a group of men who were drinking.
South African police have been struggling to curb violence linked to illegal bars, known as shebeens, which often operate without regulation. “These illegal shebeens are really giving us a problem as the police, because a lot of murders are being reported at these illegal establishments,” Mathe told eNCA.
Forensic and ballistic teams examined the scene as investigators launched a manhunt. “For now, we are looking for three suspects,” Mathe said.
The attack is the latest in a series of mass shootings that have rattled the crime-weary nation of 63 million people.
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