Police are investigating a wave of overnight shootings that left seven people dead across three separate incidents in the city. Among the victims was an off-duty police officer gunned down in Browns Farm, near Philippi.
According to police reports, the violence began shortly after 8:00 PM on Tuesday with the murder of the 48-year-old officer. He sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the upper body and died at the scene in Browns Farm. A spokesperson confirmed that this high-profile investigation is being conducted by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks.
The bloodshed continued into the early hours of Wednesday. At 2:50 AM, four people were shot and killed inside an informal dwelling on Milk Street in the Ndabeni industrial area. The victims have been identified as three females, aged 20, 52, and an unspecified age, and one adult male. The suspects fled the scene and have not been apprehended. Detectives from the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit are leading the investigation.
Just five minutes later, at 2:55 AM, a shooting near the Kensington Cemetery claimed two more lives. Two adult males, aged 35 and 36, were killed. Two other men, aged 31 and 32, were admitted to a local hospital with gunshot wounds. This incident is under investigation by detectives attached to the Anti-Gang Unit.
Police spokespersons emphasized that no arrests have yet been made in connection with any of the three overnight murders, and the motives for the shootings remain under investigation.
“Detectives are working tirelessly to identify and apprehend those responsible for the murders,” a police statement read. “The perpetrators will be pursued with the full might of the law until they are brought to book.”
This latest spate of violence follows a separate mass shooting in Philippi East over the weekend, which claimed eight lives. Police confirmed they have taken several people in for questioning in connection with that incident as those investigations continue.
Authorities are urging anyone with information related to the overnight shootings to come forward as they follow up on all available leads.