Three arrested on suspicion of killing seven people in Cape Town mass shooting
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of killing seven people in a mass shooting in Bishop Lavis, Cape Town.
Western Cape police chief Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, who visited the scene on Friday morning, said three people had been arrested. Police also seized a weapon.
Six of the seven victims – two women and four men – were killed in the shooting on Thursday night. The seventh victim, a woman, died in hospital on Friday morning.
One person was taken to hospital with injuries.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said: “A multi-disciplinary team worked throughout the night and arrested three suspects, aged 17, 24 and 29.”
“A gun was also seized during the search. It has been sent for ballistics to determine whether it was used in the commission of a crime.”
Potelwa added that they are convicted of murder, attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed weapon. They will appear in court on Monday.
Poteva said the attack was believed to be gang-related.
“The additional personnel sent to Bishop Levis yesterday in terms of protection will be on site to stabilise the area. They will be doing maintenance, high-level work and resistance,” he added.
Graham Lindhorst, a spokesman for the Bishop Lavis Community Policing Forum, said the attack may have been part of a crackdown on gangs in the area in recent weeks. But he said the exact motive for the attack remained unclear.
The mafia’s brutality over the murder of alleged Jost gang leader Peter Jaggers is said to be horrific.
The bodies of Jaggers and his accomplice William “Billy” Peterson were found in the Vaal River in the Free State earlier this month, almost four months after they were kidnapped from the Gauteng Royal Palace.
“This is what we feared would happen,” Lindhorst said.
Thursday’s shooting was the second in two days.
On Wednesday night,
gunmen opened fire at the Atlantis, killing five people and seriously injuring five others.
Potelwa said reports from the scene indicated the victims were heading home from Silverstroom Beach in three vehicles when the attack took place between Old Mamre and Silverstream Roads.
Potelva said the attack was also believed to be Gang-related.
He added that the investigation into the mass shooting at Atlantis was still ongoing.
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