12 killed, 9 injured in mass shooting in Johannesburg settlement, police say

LONDON -- At least 12 people were killed as a group of "more than 10" suspects opened fire in an informal settlement in South Africa on Tuesday evening, police said. 

The South African Police Service said on Wednesday that the group of suspects had been dropped off by a white van outside the Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland, a Johannesburg suburb, at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday night.   

"The suspects allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances and moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle," SAPS said in a statement posted on social media. 

Police said a manhunt had been launched for the suspects. No arrests had yet been made, nor was there a suspected motive, police said. 

Eight men and three women were declared dead at the scene, while another injured man was transferred to a hospital, where he later died, officials said. Nine others were transferred to hospitals with injuries from gunshots, police said. 

"Provincial and district detectives, supported by crime intelligence and forensic experts, have been mobilised to investigate the incident and track down the suspects," SAPS said in a statement. 

The greater Johannesburg metro area is dotted with semi-permanent informal settlements, almost all of which are considered illegal. The settlements are marked by their distinct housing, much of which is built with cast-away material, including metal and wood scraps.

More than 5 million people live in such settlements in South Africa, according to Amnesty International.

Lt. Gen. Tommy Mthombeni, the provincial police commissioner, told reporters at the scene of Tuesday's shooting that law enforcement officials were investigating a potential connection with illegal mining, which is a widespread and profitable industry in South Africa.

Several of the people who were killed were found in a place that looked like a "processing center for illegal mining, so one could not overrule that," he said.

Mthombeni added that police had visited the settlement within the last month and retrieved some 1,000 live rounds for automatic weapons.

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