South Africa: 7 robbers die in shootout with police

USPA News - Heavily armed robbers and police officers exchanged gunfire outside a depot near Johannesburg on late Saturday afternoon, killing seven suspected robbers and seriously injuring nine others, police in South Africa said on Sunday. The incident happened at around 5:15 p.m. local time on Saturday when between 16 and 20 men attempted to rob a depot belonging to security services company Protea Coin in Robertville, a suburb west of Johannesburg.

The group opened fire when police arrived, forcing officers to retaliate. The shootout resulted in the deaths of seven suspected robbers while nine others were injured. "Netcare 911 paramedics arrived at the scene and after triaging the injured found seven people dead, three critically wounded, and six seriously injured," said Chris Botha, a spokesman for Netcare 911. "The patients were stabilized on scene and then transported to various hospitals in the area." There were no reports of casualties among the police officers. The scene of the shootout, which took place in a badly lit industrial area, was littered with bullet cases. Journalists at the scene reported seeing several bodies, including the remains of three men inside a van. Their identities were not immediately released, and it was not clear if they were part of a known criminal gang.