Lusikisiki mass shooting death toll rises as hunt for suspects continue [VIDEO]

The Lusikisiki mass shooting death toll has risen to 18.

Eastern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa confirmed that the eighteenth victim died in hospital on Sunday.

“There are no other new developments. However, police investigation is underway.”

Watch some members of the family whose members were murdered are now in places of safety.

On Saturday, police minister Senzo Mchunu said the motive behind the mass shootings in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape is still unknown.

“Senseless killings”

Mchunu said investigations are ongoing and described the killings as “senseless.”

“Forensic investigators and the other investigators on a specialized basis standard doing the work, and are hoping that we will find some clues in terms of who did these heinous crimes. We’ll spare no moment and bring them to justice.

“The number of people that perished is intolerably a huge number of people, so we are already referring to that as a massacre. It’s a serious incident and those people [suspects] can’t escape justice,” Mchunu said.

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Manhunt

Mchunu added that national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola had mobilised maximum resources to ensure the killers are found.

He vowed police would leave no stone unturned in the search for the assailants

“The national commissioner has deployed a dedicated team of detectives and forensic experts which include crime scene managers from Pretoria to piece all evidence together in a bid to apprehend these brutal criminals.

“We have full faith and confidence in the team that has been deployed to crack this case and find these criminals. Either they hand themselves over or we will fetch them ourselves,” Mchunu said.

Mchunu said investigations are ongoing and described the killings as “senseless.”

Mass shooting

It’s understood the attacks took place on Friday night in two separate homes at Ngobozana village.

Police said in one house, 13 people were killed, which include twelve women and one man.

In another homestead, four people were also killed. The eighteenth victim was initially in a critical condition in hospital.

ALSO READ: Fifteen women and two men killed in Eastern Cape mass shooting