South African police say 14 dead in Soweto bar shooting

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A mass shooting at a tavern in Soweto Township in Johannesburg has killed 14 people and left three others in critical condition, police say.

Police said they were investigating reports that a group of men arrived in a minibus taxi and opened fire on some of the bar patrons on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, police were removing the bodies of the deceased and investigating what led to the mass shooting.

The three seriously injured and one other injured person were taken to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

The number of rounds found at the scene indicates it was a group of people who fired at the customers, Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Elias Mawela said.

“Primary investigation suggests that these people were enjoying themselves here, in a licensed tavern operating at good hours,” Mawela told The Associated Press.

« All of a sudden they heard gunshots, that’s when people tried to run out of the tavern. We don’t have full details at the moment on the motive and why they were targeting these people,” he said.

“You can see that a high caliber gun was used and it was firing randomly. You can see that each of these people was struggling to get out of the tavern,” Mawela told The Associated Press .

Mogomotsi Magome, The Associated Press

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