Brakpan killing a suspected murder-suicide
It is suspected that a mother may have shot her three children before turning the gun on herself.
Picture. iStock
A tragedy took place in Sallies Village, Brakpan on Wednesday night, after the bodies of a mother and her three children were found in a house, reports Brakpan Herald.
MOTHER 40 & 3 CHILDREN 17, 19 & 10 FOUND SHOT DEAD AT A HOUSE ON WHICH WAS ON FIRE: SALLIES VILLAGE. BRAKPAN. EMM. GP. 9MM PISTOL BELONGING TO FATHER FOUND ON SCENE.
— REZA (@crimeairnetwork) July 10, 2019
According to information, all four victims sustained gunshot wounds to the head.
The house where the bodies were found was then set alight.
Emergency personnel arrived quickly at the scene, and were able to bring the fire under control.
Brakpan police spokesperson Pearl van Staad told IOL that unconfirmed reports indicate that the mother, allegedly a housewife, shot her children before turning her husband’s gun on herself.
She said that the father was in a state when he arrived at the scene, and details remain sketchy at this stage.
It is also not yet known how the house was set alight.
Information available at present indicates that the children were between the ages of 10 and 19 years old.
In a tweet, EWN reports that a gun which belongs to a man police believe to be the father was found at the scene.
#BrakpanMurders Police say a gun belonging to a man believed to be the father was recovered at the scene. No arrests have yet been made and police are investigating. TK
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) July 11, 2019
No arrests have been made, and investigations are underway.
The Citizen’s attempts to contact Brakpan police have not yet been successful.
Updates to follow as more information is made available.
Parts of this article were translated from Afrikaans by Nica Schreuder.
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