melville shooting south africa

Home » New Year’s Tragedy as Melville Drive-By Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 5 Injured

New Year’s Tragedy as Melville Drive-By Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 5 Injured

New Year’s Eve celebrations in Johannesburg, South Africa, turned to tragedy last night after a shocking drive-by shooting in Melville left three dead and at least five injured. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has launched a manhunt for the suspects who were driving a black BMW SUV. The (unknown number of) suspects drove past […]

By Jenni Baxter
01-01-20 15:15
in Eish!
melville shooting south africa

New Year’s Eve celebrations in Johannesburg, South Africa, turned to tragedy last night after a shocking drive-by shooting in Melville left three dead and at least five injured. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has launched a manhunt for the suspects who were driving a black BMW SUV.

The (unknown number of) suspects drove past Poppy’s restaurant on the corner of 2nd and 7th Avenues in Melville at about 01h00 on New Year’s Day, SAPS confirmed in a statement.

The BMW approached from 7th Avenue and “suddenly, multiple shots were allegedly fired from the BMW at patrons who were sitting outside the restaurant.

“Eight people were shot, two of whom were declared dead on the scene, while six were rushed to nearby hospitals with two of the six in a critical condition.”

The two deceased were women, aged between 30 and 40.

Social Cohesion Advocate Yusuf Abramjee has since tweeted – at around lunch-time on Wednesday – that a third person has been confirmed dead. It’s believed the third person may have been a male, as police said the two people who were in critical condition were both males.

At the time of the SAPS’ statement, police had opened two cases of murder and six attempted murder cases.

Poppy’s Melville issued a statement saying: “Wednesday, 01 January 2020, Poppy’s restaurant owner, experienced the most tragic event outside her restaurant on 7th Street, Melville in the early hour of this morning. Two people who were standing outside her restaurant were shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.

“The details of the incident are not yet clear as the matter is subject to preliminary investigation by police officials. Poppy’s management and staff are deeply saddened by this heart-rending incident and send there deepest and sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.

“The restaurant will be closed until further notice, in order to allow the police to conduct their investigation.”

The Provincial Commissioner of police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela has condemned the incident that has marred what started off as peaceful celebrations by revellers in Johannesburg to cross over to the New Year.

Lieutenant General Mawela has urged the investigators to ensure that no stone is left unturned in ensuring that the suspects are found and brought to book.

According to reports on Twitter the “cartridges on the scene are of a hand gun. There is a footage and the detectives are handling it.”

The Gauteng Government said it “strongly condemns these acts”.

11 People Injured at Mary Fitzgerald Square

Around two hours after the Melville mass shooting, another New Year’s Eve shooting incident occurred – at 03h00 – in Mary Fitzgerald Square. According to Gauteng Govt, preliminary investigations “reveal that the shooter fired several shots from the upper level of the M2 (south-bound) double-decker bridge and targeted the VIP area. No arrests have yet been made, but police are working hard to ensure that suspects are identified and arrested.”

Anyone who may have witnessed the incidents or have information that could lead to the apprehension of the suspects, is urged to report to the police by calling the crime stop number 08600 10111 or by giving a tip-off on the MySAPS app, anonymously if they so choose.

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