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- Suspects sought after 9 killed in South Africa tavern mass shooting (abcnews.go.com)
JOHANNESBURG and LONDON – A tragic early Sunday morning shooting at a South African tavern has left at least nine people dead and ten others injured, according to local police officials. A group of assailants, armed with pistols and an assault rifle, opened fire on patrons in what authorities are now investigating as a potential robbery.
The incident unfolded just before 1 a.m. at KWA Noxolo tavern in Bekkersdal, a township located west of Johannesburg. Brenda Muridili, a spokesperson for the South African Police Service, reported that a group of up to a dozen attackers arrived in two vehicles – a white van and a silver sedan.
Police stated that the assailants stormed into the bar and immediately began shooting. Three individuals were fatally shot inside the tavern, as confirmed by Fred Kekana, the police commissioner of the Gauteng province, to reporters on Sunday.
The violence then spilled outside, where six more people, including a passing driver, were killed. In addition to the fatalities, ten others sustained injuries.
Eyewitnesses described the attackers as approximately 12 men, reportedly carrying at least nine pistols and one AK-47-style assault rifle. After the shooting, the assailants allegedly searched the bodies of both the deceased and injured, stealing valuables such as cellphones.
The motive behind this horrific attack remains unclear, and authorities are actively investigating. The KWA Noxolo tavern is known as a “shebeen,” a type of informal licensed bar common in townships like Bekkersdal, which is situated about 25 miles west of Johannesburg in the West Rand area, a region historically associated with mining towns.
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- Suspects sought after 9 killed in South Africa tavern mass shooting (abcnews.go.com)