12 killed as gunmen open fire across Johannesburg settlement

At least 12 people are dead and nine injured after gunmen stormed an informal settlement in Cleveland, east of Johannesburg, late Tuesday night, one of the deadliest mass shootings the city has seen in recent years.

The South African police provided an update on Wednesday that more than 10 people are still being hunted following the killing of 12.

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12 dead, 9 injured in Johannesburg mass shooting

Officers responded to the ongoing shooting at about 23:10 local time (21:10 GMT). Police said the suspects were let off near a petrol station in Cleveland, and then they went into the Jumpers informal settlement, using two different access points, separately.

The suspects shot the people in various places in the area before escaping using a white Toyota Quantum car they used to reach the site of their crime.

Eight men and three women were declared dead at the site, while a man died of his injuries at the hospital, making him the twelfth victim. At least nine others sustained bullet injuries and were admitted to hospitals.

According to police reports, there has been no identified motive for the perpetrators, and the matter is still under investigation. So far, no arrests have been made. People with any useful information regarding this incident are being called upon by authorities.

The number of murders in the country averages about 60 a day, one of the highest in the world. Murders in the informal settlements of the country are not infrequent, and in most cases, they are associated with gang warfare and personal conflicts, although no links have been established yet.

There are reportedly three million legal firearms in South Africa and an equal amount of illegal weapons, based on figures from the South African Gunowners' Association. In the past, there was another mass shooting in a Johannesburg pub which left nine people dead.