A woman in her 40s was shot dead and four other people were injured when gunmen opened fire inside a house in Grange, Pietermaritzburg, on Sunday night.

The shooting occurred at about 22:00 at a home on William Calder Road, reports The Witness.

According to a police source, family members were gathered in a bedroom discussing family matters, while five others were seated in the lounge drinking alcohol, when gunfire suddenly erupted.

The source said that after hearing shots from the lounge, one of the family members stepped out of the bedroom to investigate and saw a man walking towards the room he had just exited.

“He rushed back inside and locked the door. The suspect then fired several shots at the door before walking away,” the source said.

The house was reportedly lit by candles due to a power outage, making it difficult for the occupants to determine how many attackers were involved.

One woman was shot multiple times in the upper body and died at the scene.

Three other women and a man suffered gunshot wounds to various parts of their bodies and were rushed to hospital for medical treatment.

When the newspaper visited the house, a man who declined to be named said the homeowner, who is wheelchair-bound, was deeply traumatised by the incident.

“He is not ready to talk about what happened. I also cannot speak in detail because I was not here when it happened,” he said.

Neighbours living nearby declined to comment, saying residents in the area generally kept to themselves.

At the time of publication, police had not yet commented on the shooting. Investigations are under way.

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