South Africa shocked by bar shootings, police hunt suspects

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa is reeling in shock from a spate of weekend bar shootings in which armed men burst into three taverns and opened fire indiscriminately, killing 21 people in total. Security experts say regional and ethnic rivalries, an organized crime extortion ring, competition between bar owners and political enmities are all possible motivations for the shootings. It’s not known if the shootings are linked. The worst was in Johannesburg’s Soweto township in which 15 people were killed and several others seriously injured when several men charged into a bar and started shooting with AK-47 semi-automatic rifles late Saturday night. Police say more than 135 cartridges were found at the scene, showing the intent to cause maximum casualties.