Cape Town — In a tragic mass shooting that claimed seven lives in Bishop Lavis, Cape Town, police have arrested three suspects as the province reels from a string of violent incidents believed to be gang-related.
The shooting occurred late Thursday night, leaving six people, including two women and four men, dead on the scene. A seventh victim, a woman, succumbed to her injuries in hospital early Friday, while one more individual remains hospitalized.
Western Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, who visited the crime scene on Friday morning, confirmed the arrests. “Three people are currently in custody, and a firearm has been seized,” Patekile stated. He emphasized that the weapon was being sent for ballistic testing to determine if it was linked to other crimes.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa revealed that a “multidisciplinary tracing team worked tirelessly through the night, leading to the arrest of three suspects, aged 17, 24, and 29.” Potelwa added that the suspects face multiple charges, including murder, attempted murder, and possession of unlicensed firearms. The three are expected to make their first court appearance on Monday.
According to initial police reports, the assailants entered an informal dwelling in Kogelberg Street around 8:40 p.m., indiscriminately opening fire on its occupants. Potelwa confirmed that the shooting is believed to be gang-related, reflecting an escalating cycle of gang violence plaguing the Bishop Lavis area in recent weeks.
In response to the incident, Potelwa explained that additional police units would remain deployed in the area, conducting patrols, raids, and other high-density operations aimed at stabilizing the situation.
Graham Lindhorst, spokesperson for the Bishop Lavis Community Policing Forum, attributed the recent surge in violence to the murder of Peter Jaggers, the alleged leader of the Terrible Josters gang. Jaggers and his associate, William “Billy” Peterson, were reportedly found dead in the Vaal River after being abducted months earlier in Gauteng. “We feared that violence would erupt as a result,” Lindhorst said, acknowledging the heightened tension gripping the community.
The Bishop Lavis shooting is the second mass killing in just two days. The previous night, five people were killed, and five others seriously injured in Atlantis, where gunmen opened fire on a group returning from Silverstroom Beach. Authorities believe this shooting also had gang affiliations. Potelwa confirmed that the investigation into the Atlantis shooting is ongoing, with no arrests made as of yet.
With local communities on edge and police under pressure, authorities are working to control the outbreak of violence, but as Potelwa noted, “The challenges are complex.”
