Five individuals were shot dead and five others were injured in different attacks in Alexandra on Thursday night, prompting police in Gauteng to initiate a manhunt for unidentified armed suspects.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, a spokeswoman for the Gauteng South African Police Service (SAPS), four armed individuals are suspected of robbing and shooting local residents.
Police Minister Bheki Cele is scheduled to visit the area on Friday.
He said: “It is reported that the suspects first met people travelling in a Toyota Etios on Fourth Avenue and Selborne Street and fired shots at them. One person was injured.
“The second incident occurred at Eleventh Avenue and Boulevard Street where the suspects found two people sitting in a car charging cell phones as there was no electricity in the area, due to load shedding. The suspects robbed the victims of their cell phones before shooting them. Both victims were taken to medical care centres for treatment.”
He claimed that the next victim was shot dead after the suspects encountered him near Boulevard Street. While two persons were being robbed of their shoes and cell phones, the next victim was shot at Seventh Avenue and died as a result of his injuries.
At Sixth Avenue, according to Masondo, the suspects met and shot three victims.
“One person was fatally wounded while two victims were taken for medical treatment.
“It is reported that the last shooting happened at Sixth Avenue and Roosevelt Road where two people were shot while inside the Toyota Avanza. Both victims died at the scene,” he said.
Five murder crimes, five attempted murder cases, and five armed robberies have been reported to the police.
On Friday, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, the commissioner of the Gauteng Police, vehemently decried the random shootings.
He then put together a team made up of various SAPS units and other law enforcement organisations to look for the suspects.
Masondo reported that one person was detained after being discovered in Alexandra in possession of an unauthorised firearm and ammunition.
“The suspect is still being profiled to establish if he is linked to the shootings. The firearm will be taken for ballistic test to determine if it was used in the commission of crime,” he said.
He claimed that efforts to retrieve such guns are still going on because police administration was concerned about the widespread use of firearms in Alexandra.
“Police are appealing to anyone who might have information that could help in the investigation or assist in the apprehension of the suspects, to please call the nearest police station or crime stop on 08600 10111 or by giving a tip-off on the MySAPS app. All information received will be treated as strictly confidential,” he said.