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A “turf war among gang members” appears to be unfolding in Reiger Park, Boksburg, following a deadly drive-by shooting that left six people dead and three others injured.
This is according to crime expert Chad Thomas, who visited the area and the family of one of the victims on Sunday after the shooting.
Suspect
Acting Provincial Police Commissioner of Gauteng, Major General Fred Kekana, said they have identified a suspect who may be linked to the drive-by shooting.
The shooting took place hours after the funeral of a local gangster in Reiger Park.
According to Kekana, two cars, a silver and black Volkswagen Polo, drove into the area and opened fire, killing three men and two women.
ALSO READ: Six dead, three injured in mass shooting in Reiger Park, Boksburg
Shooting
Describing the shooting, Kekana said that when a 40-year-old woman heard the gunshots from her house, she ran out of the yard fearing for her children, but the gunmen also shot her.
A 30-year-old woman was also met by the same fate when she went out to look for her children.
“The gunmen then went en route and shot one young man who is allegedly a member of a rival gang. They then went on another street, met a foreign national who lived at a nearby informal settlement, and they also shot him,” he said.
Gang violence
Thomas told the SABC, gang violence seems to be intensifying.
“We are seeing it not just in Reiger Park, we are seeing it happening in other areas of Gauteng, and of course, we all know what’s happening on the Cape Flats, it’s absolutely horrific.
“But in Gauteng itself, we’ve had some major shootings over the last couple of months… It just shows there’s a vacuum in leadership withing these different gangs and it would appear there’s a turf war of sorts taking place,” Thomas said.
Thomas said it’s expected that “this violence is going to continue.”
Urgent action
Last month, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety called for urgent action to rid Westbury of illegal firearms and to deploy specialised police units, following a mass shooting that claimed the lives of two teenagers.
Police said six teenagers aged between 14 and 19 were gunned down in what was believed to be a gang-related attack in Westbury, Sophiatown.
Two of the victims were declared dead on arrival at hospital, while four others remain under medical care.
Preliminary reports indicate that the victims were allegedly targeted by three suspects linked to a rival gang.
ALSO READ: One killed in drive-by shooting in Pinetown, Durban
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