15 dead in bar shooting in Johannesburg, South Africa
In the early morning of July 10, local time, a shooting incident occurred in a bar in the town of Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa. At present, 15 people have been killed and 8 people are still receiving treatment in the hospital.
It is reported that from 23:00 on the 9th to the early morning of the 10th, the attacker took a taxi to the bar and used a large-caliber gun to randomly shoot at the bar customers.
When police in Gauteng province, South Africa arrived at the scene, they found 12 people were shot dead, 11 others were taken to hospital for treatment, and 3 others died of serious injuries.
So far, 15 people have been killed in the shooting.
After the incident, some residents within dozens of kilometers drove to the bar to watch. When a reporter from the main station arrived at the scene on the 10th, they saw that the door of the bar was still open, and the roadside was full of people.
The aisle inside the bar is very narrow, with only one entrance. The area where it is located is a local slum in Soweto. The entire community has at least 3,000 residents, most of whom are unemployed.
As the area has been powered off for the past three years, the living conditions are very poor, and people and livestock can be seen living together everywhere.
A local citizen, who did not want to be named, told the head office reporter that the attacker took a taxi and got off at the intersection in front of the bar, and then quickly entered the bar to shoot.
He said the bar is a local takeaway store that sells alcohol, and customers come to the store to party at night.
Another police source familiar with the matter said the shooting may have resulted from a vicious rivalry between nearby bars that led to a vendetta.
Gauteng Provincial Police Chief Elias Mawela said on the same day that preliminary investigations showed that the incident bar had a business license and was open within the specified hours.
"Customers suddenly heard gunshots and tried to run out. We don't yet have the full details of the attackers' motives and why they targeted these people."
Mawela said the victims were mostly young people, estimated to be between the ages of 19 and 35.
Judging from the situation at the scene, the attackers used large-caliber guns and fired randomly at the crowd.
The light in the incident area was very dim, which made it more difficult for the police to locate the suspect.
According to a statement released by South African police, the attackers used a rifle and a 9mm pistol.
In addition, at 15:00 on the 10th, South African President Ramaphosa expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the Soweto bar shooting through the spokesman of the presidential palace.
(Headquarters reporter Zhao Yinan)