A man accused of killing 18 people in mass shootings at two different homes in South Africa abandoned his bail application, according to AP News.
Siphosoxolo Myekethe is charged with 18 murders and illegal possession of a firearm, an AK-47-style rifle. Prosecutors claim he was on parole from prison at the time of the shooting after being convicted of murder in another case.
A mass shooting took place last month near the town of Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape province. The victims were 15 women, two men and a teenage boy, with many belonging to the same family.
Police said four people were killed in the first house, 13 in the second, and an 18th victim died in hospital. Prosecutors did not provide a motive for the killings.
The country of 62 million people had more than 12,000 homicides in the first six months of this year, with an average of about 70 a day, according to police statistics. Firearms were the biggest cause of death in homicides.
Firearms laws in South Africa are quite strict, with competency checks, background screening and other regulations. However, authorities say the large number of illegal, unregistered guns in circulation poses a major problem.
Multiple homicides have risen in recent years, according to the South African Institute for Security Studies.
