Two men, believed to be in their forties, were shot dead on Saturday afternoon, while a woman was shot and injured in an incident that took place at a shopping complex in Cato Ridge, west of Durban.
ALS Paramedics confirmed that just after lunch, their teams responded to the distress call after the shooting took place in the parking lot of the centre.
Three people had sustained gunshot wounds.
The police were already on scene by the time their teams arrived.
“Paramedics quickly assessed the scene and found that two men had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
"Unfortunately, there was nothing the paramedics could do for them, and they were declared deceased on the scene. Both men were believed to be approximately 40-years-old,” ALS said.
“At this stage, the events leading up to the shooting are unknown; however, SAPS were on the scene and will be investigating further.”
The other victim was a woman who had sustained gunshot wounds to her legs and was treated on scene before she was taken to hospital.
IOL reached out to the South African Police Service in KwaZulu-Natal for comment and is awaiting their response. The story will be updated once feedback is received.
Gun violence in the province has been a scourge for the residents of KZN, as crime statistics show a consistent rise in the number of crimes involving illegal firearms.
According to the latest crime stats, between 25-30 people are killed each day in a gun-related crime.
Speaking to the rise in gun violence in the eThekwini region, human rights activist Mary de Haas said the question needed to be asked as to where the firearms are coming from.
“There has to be stricter gun regulation; there are just too many guns on the streets,” De Haas told IOL last month.
IOL