BLOEMFONTEIN – A 30-year-old man has been arrested for attempted murder following a shooting incident at a local tavern in the early hours of Saturday morning. The suspect allegedly shot and wounded five people after a dispute with tavern bouncers. Two others narrowly escaped injuries.
At approximately 22:54 on Friday, 8 August, the suspect attempted to leave a tavern with bottles of liquor. When he was stopped by bouncers, he allegedly dropped the bottles, went to his vehicle, and returned with a firearm. He then began shooting randomly, wounding five individuals, says Captain Loraine Earle, police spokesperson in the Free State.
The five victims, aged 25 to 35 years, were shot in various parts of their bodies. A woman was wounded in her left shoulder, two sustained injuries to their knees, and two were shot in their thighs. A male victim narrowly escaped injury when a bullet tore through his trousers. A bouncer was also shot at multiple times but was unharmed.
Emergency medical services transported the five wounded victims to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The suspect fled the scene in his white Mazda 2 vehicle. Members of the Parkweg police station and the Bloemfontein Flying Squad were notified and given a description of the vehicle. Shortly after, Flying Squad members spotted a vehicle matching the description on Meadows Road and conducted a tactical stop.
The suspect was arrested, and his licensed 9mm firearm with an empty magazine was recovered from the vehicle.
He faces seven counts of attempted murder and is expected to appear in court soon. Investigation continues, says Earle.
