A taxi driver was shot dead and four other people were wounded during a shoot-out at Johannesburg’s busy Bree Street taxi rank on Monday afternoon, city emergency services said.
Spokesperson Malcolm Midgley said two of the injured people were critically injured and two others were in a serious condition. They were taken to the Johannesburg and Milpark hospitals.
The taxi driver died after gunmen opened fire at 4.30pm and pumped three bullets into his body, police spokesperson Captain Bhekizizwe Mavundla said.
”The shooting is believed to have started at corners of Bree and Sauer streets while a group of taxi drivers were busy gambling.”
Fearing for their lives, the men then ran inside the taxi rank, but one was shot dead, he said.
Gunmen allegedly continued to shoot randomly after striking the taxi driver, and two women in their 30s were among those caught in the gunfire.
No arrests have been made, but Mavundla said about three men were involved in the shooting. ”CCTV cameras installed inside the rank will also be studied to help identify those involved.” — Sapa