Ten members from the same family, including seven women and three men, were killed by gunmen Friday, April 21 in the city of Pietermaritzburg, in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province of South Africa, police have revealed.
The police said a 13-year-old boy was among those killed by the gunmen.
“According to initial police reports, unknown gunmen stormed a Pietermaritzburg homestead and ambushed the family,” the South African Ministry of Police said in a statement Friday April 21.
South Africa has been rocked by several mass shootings in recent months, which some say are related to taxi business violence, while others appear to be linked to drug cartels.
When police arrived at the scene, 12 people were confirmed dead. 11 others were taken to hospital with wounds but two later died, raising the death toll to 14
The mayor of the area told local media that they needed to bolster local police stations.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said;
“Two suspects (have been) arrested, one dead, another fled the scene. Police are on a manhunt,” she said, adding that three firearms were recovered from the suspects during a shootout.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, according to police statistics.