Police are hunting an unknown gunman after four people, including two teenage girls, were found shot dead inside a shack in Airport Valley, Walmer, in the early hours of Friday morning.
A chilling quadruple murder has left the Airport Valley community in Gqeberha reeling after four people were found fatally shot inside a shack on Friday, 17 April.
Police were alerted just after midnight when a shooting complaint was received via Radio Control.
Mass carnage: Four bodies discovered with gunshot wounds
Colonel Monde Sithole, spokesperson for the South African Police Service (Saps) in the Eastern Cape, confirmed that officers were dispatched to the scene shortly after the complaint came in.
“At approximately 00:34, police responded to a shooting complaint received via Radio Control and proceeded to a residence on Ndlovu Street, Airport Valley, Walmer,” Sithole said.
Upon arrival, officers were met outside the property by the complainant, who directed them to the shack.
Sithole confirmed that what police found inside was a scene of mass carnage.
“Inside the shack, police found the bodies of four victims, all of whom had sustained fatal gunshot wounds,” he said.
Victims include two brothers and two teenage girls
The four deceased have been identified as two brothers, aged 20 and 22, along with two young women aged 17 and 19.
Sithole outlined the nature of the injuries sustained by each victim.
The older of the two brothers, aged 22, was shot once on the right side of his face, while the 20-year-old sustained two gunshot wounds, also to the right side of his face.
“Both female victims, aged 17 and 19, sustained gunshot wounds to the head,” Sithole confirmed.
The brutality and precision of the attack have raised serious concerns among investigators.
Sithole noted that the motive behind the killings remains unknown and forms a central part of the ongoing investigation.
Complainant had stepped out before the discovery
The person who reported the crime told police he had left the property briefly to visit a nearby shop.
“Upon his return, he discovered the bodies inside the shack,” he said, adding that the man had met police outside the premises upon their arrival and led them directly to the scene.
Four counts of murder have since been registered.
“No arrests have been made at this stage,” said Sithole.
Police appeal for information from the public
Authorities are appealing to anyone with information about the attack to come forward.
Sithole urged members of the public to contact investigators directly, stressing that all information shared would be kept confidential.
“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is urged to contact Lieutenant Colonel Monde Sithole on 082 457 2812 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111,” he said. “All information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.”
