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Tag: Mass shooting

  • Police launch manhunt after mass shooting kills 18 people in South Africa

    Police launch manhunt after mass shooting kills 18 people in South Africa

    In a tragic incident in the remote town of Lusikisiki, South Africa, a mass shooting has claimed the lives of eighteen individuals, prompting a manhunt for the assailants, according to local police.

    Authorities reported that two homes on the same street were targeted during the attack. At one location, 12 women and one man were killed, while a second site saw the deaths of three women and another man.

    The South African Police Service confirmed that the 18th victim succumbed to injuries in the hospital on Sunday.

    Police Minister Senzo Mchunu stated that the motive behind the shootings remains unclear. In a press release on Sunday, police indicated that, aside from the confirmation of the 18th victim’s death, there have been no significant updates, and no suspects have been arrested yet.

    Officials noted that the victims were all relatives and neighbours from Nyathi village, Ngobozana, in Lusikisiki.

    Reports from South African media revealed that the victims were gathered at the homes to prepare for a traditional mourning ceremony honouring a mother and daughter who had been murdered a year earlier.

    They were in the process of organising goods and presents, including furniture, for the ceremony when the shooting occurred on Friday night.

    “We heard gunshots and doors that were kicked,” Nomnikelo Ndlovu, one of the residents who was able to hide during the attack, told state broadcaster SABC.

    “We tried to hide, and three people were shot. We are still traumatised.”

    In a statement on Saturday, the police minister said that there had been a total of 19 people sleeping in two homes in the same yard at one of the shooting locations.

    Mchunu added that there had been six survivors at that homestead – four women, a man, and a two-month-old child. A police spokesperson said earlier that the child was uninjured but had been taken to the hospital as a precaution.

    There were no survivors at the other homestead.

    Mchunu said a team of detectives and forensic experts, including crime scene managers from Pretoria, had been deployed “to piece all [the] evidence together in a bid to apprehend these brutal criminals.”

    Regional cabinet member for community safety Xolile Nqatha told SABC that he hoped the critically injured man would make a “speedy” recovery, as “his recovery can help us shed more light” on the shooting.

    He also indicated that the attackers might have had some familiarity with the victims.

    According to recent statistics from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, South Africa has one of the highest murder rates globally.

    In 2022, the country recorded over 27,000 homicides, translating to 45 murders per 100,000 people within a population nearing 60 million. In contrast, the murder rate in the United States stands at six per 100,000.

  • Over 600 mass shootings and 1,571 children killed in US in 2023 – Gun Violence Archive reports

    Over 600 mass shootings and 1,571 children killed in US in 2023 – Gun Violence Archive reports

    The United States has witnessed a surge of mass shootings in 2023, with at least 630 incidents reported so far, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization that tracks gun-related violence in the country.

    A mass shooting is defined by the Gun Violence Archive as an incident in which four or more people are shot or killed, not including the shooter. By this definition, at least 38 mass shootings where four or more people were killed have been reported so far this year.

    The Gun Violence Archive also reports that as of December 5, at least 1,571 children under the age of 18 have been shot and killed in 2023. This number includes both victims and perpetrators of gun violence, as well as accidental and intentional shootings.

    The issue of gun violence in the US has sparked heated debates over the need for stricter gun control laws and the protection of the right to bear arms. The US has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world, with an estimated 393 million firearms in circulation, according to a 2018 study.

    Las Vegas was the scene of the deadliest mass shooting in US history in October 2017 when a gunman opened fire from his hotel room on the Las Vegas strip during the Harvest Music Festival, killing 59 and injuring more than 500. The motive for the shooting remains unknown, and the FBI closed its investigation in 2019 without finding a clear motive.

    The Gun Violence Archive is an independent non-profit organization that provides charts and maps of gun violence to visualize the impact of gun use across the country. The organization relies on media reports, law enforcement sources, and public records to collect and verify its data. The organization’s website states that its mission is “to provide free online public access to accurate information about gun-related violence in the United States”.

  • 2 children among 29 injured in Chicago mass shooting

    2 children among 29 injured in Chicago mass shooting

    A tragic incident unfolded in Chicago on June 18, disrupting a Juneteenth celebration in the Willowbrook area.

    During the early hours, at approximately 12:30 AM local time, a mass shooting occurred, leaving a devastating impact.

    Shockingly, at least 29 individuals, including two children, were wounded in the shooting.

    The unfortunate incident marred the festivities of Juneteenth, a significant holiday that commemorates the abolition of slavery in the United States.

    “It was supposed to be like a Juneteenth celebration; we just started hearing shooting, so we dropped down until they stopped. They just kept going. After that, we literally scattered away,” witness Markeshia Avery told ABC7 Chicago. The shooting happened as people were leaving the park.

    The victims’ age spanned from 10 to 46 years old. Among them, a 10-year-old boy and a 20-year-old woman were in critical condition, emphasizing the severity of their injuries. The remaining victims received medical treatment for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

    The injured individuals were swiftly transported to four different hospitals, where they are currently being closely monitored and receiving necessary care.

    “We were all just out, and, next thing you know, shots just kept going off; everybody ran, and it was chaos,” witness Craig Lotcie told the local news outlet. “I saw that they had cops laid out at all the entrances like that; I just got back home. Now they got the place all taped up,” another witness said.

    The police have not yet released any information about the suspects in the shooting. They are asking anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.

    This is the latest in a series of mass shootings in Chicago. In recent months, there have been several shootings in the city that have left multiple people injured or dead. The violence has sparked protests and calls for action from city leaders.

    The Chicago Police Department is investigating the shooting, and they are asking anyone with information to come forward. They have also increased patrols in the area where the shooting took place.

  • Serbia arrests suspect after second mass shooting in a week

    Serbia arrests suspect after second mass shooting in a week

    In Serbia’s second mass shooting in a week, eight people died and 14 were injured. A man has been detained.

    The shooting started shortly after midnight when the attacker fired from a moving car near a town around 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Belgrade.

    After “an extensive search,” he was taken into custody early on Friday morning, according to the interior ministry.

    It follows the bloodiest shooting in Serbia in years on Wednesday, when a youngster killed nine people at a school in Belgrade.

    President Aleksander Vucic pledged the “practical disarmament” of the country, as he announced a list of new security measures intended to improve gun control on Friday morning.

    The suspect – who has only been identified by his initials UB – was detained near the city of Kragujevac, the interior ministry said.

    People mourn deceased after mass shooting in Serbia

    The arrest followed an extensive manhunt, which local media reported involved over 600 police officers. He was eventually found hiding at his grandfather’s house, Serbian broadcaster RTS reported.

    Early on Friday morning, Serbian media said that special police forces had arrived at the villages of Mladenovac and Dubona, where the latest shooting occurred.

    Photos from the scene showed police officers stopping cars at checkpoints as they tried to find the gunman. A helicopter, drones and multiple police patrols were also used.

    Reports on local media say the suspect – who the interior ministry said was born in 2002 – started firing at people with an automatic weapon after having an argument with a police officer in a park in Dubona on Thursday evening.

    Milan Prokić, a Dubona resident, told Radio Belgrade 1 he heard shots near his house: “It’s sad, regrettable, we locked ourselves in our home so [the shots] wouldn’t come to us.”

    The man is then said to have proceeded to shoot people from a car, killing at least eight people and wounding many more.

    All injured people admitted to hospital were born after the year 2000, RTS reported.

    Two people aged 21 and 23 were operated on, but remain in critical condition.

    Speaking at a news conference after the attack on Friday, Serbia’s president said the suspect had been wearing a T-shirt with neo-Nazi symbols, but no further details were given.

    President Vucic called the shooting “an attack on us all” and announced a host of new security measures, including a plan to hire 1,200 new police officers.

    He also announced a ban on new gun permits, tougher penalties for illegal weapons possession and psychological checks of gun owners. He said the new laws would result in the “practical disarmament” of Serbia.

    On Wednesday, a thirteen-year-old boy shot dead eight fellow pupils at his school in Belgrade, as well as a security guard. It prompted the Serbian government to propose tighter restrictions of gun ownership.

    NBA basketball player Luka Doncic said he would pay for the funerals of all nine people killed in Wednesday’s shooting, and for grief counselling for classmates and staff.

    Mass shootings are extremely rare in Serbia, which has very strict gun laws, but gun ownership in the country is among the highest in Europe.

    The western Balkans are awash with illegal weapons following wars and unrest in the 1990s. In 2019, it was estimated that there are 39.1 firearms per 100 people in Serbia – the third highest in the world, behind the US and Montenegro.

    The USA for the past few years has been plagued with shooting. One of the most tragic of it is the Parkland shooting in 2018, where a 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Miami suburban town of Parkland, Florida, United States, murdering 17 people and injuring 17 others.