Two cuffed following shooting at Springs Mall opening

At least two of the men involved in a shooting incident at the Springs Mall on Thursday morning were arrested within an hour of their assault on the mall, reports the Springs Advertiser.

Although unconfirmed, it is believed the remaining two suspects have also been apprehended.

Mall management say they are shocked at the incident, especially taking into account the level of security on site since early this morning.

Kathryn Payton of Marketing Concept said there were more than 200 police on site, a number of plain clothed police, members of Ekurhuleni metro police, mall security and private security.

The shots were fired shortly after the ribbon cutting at the opening of the new Springs Mall, however, shoppers were not been deterred and continued to arrive. Most shops were open.

Shortly after the ribbon cutting opening at the mall, shots rang out.

The Kempton Express further reported that Chris Botha of Netcare 911 said two people were critically injured in the shooting.

“Reports indicate that a cash-in-transit [robbery] was in progress. Paramedics arrived at the scene and found that two people sustained critical injuries. Medics worked fervently to stabilise the injured at the scene,” said Botha.

“One of the critically injured men was airlifted to a specialised hospital in Gauteng for further care. The other patient was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital,” Botha said.

Netcare911 posted this description of the incident on their Facebook page. Picture: Netcare911 on Facebook

Witnesses apparently said one shot was fired from the doorway near Nedbank.

According to a tweet by Crime Air Network, a police officer, two customers and one perpetrator was shot. The tweet read, “UPDATE NEW SPRINGS MALL INCIDENT : 1 SAPS MEMBER, 2 CUSTOMERS & 1 PERP SHOT. SCENE HOT. AVOID!!!”

UPDATE NEW SPRINGS MALL INCIDENT : 1 SAPS MEMBER, 2 CUSTOMERS & 1 PERP SHOT. SCENE HOT. AVOID!!!

— REZA (@crimeairnetwork) March 16, 2017

– Caxton News Service

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