A seven-year-old girl who was caught in crossfire between rival gangs in Ocean View, Cape Town, which also left a 31-year-old man dead, died on Tuesday evening.

Police had responded to a shooting incident in Libra Way, said police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa.

“On arrival, they discovered that a seven-year-old girl had been shot and seriously wounded. She was taken to False Bay hospital by ambulance. It emerged shortly thereafter that she died on arrival in hospital.”

Potelwa said a crowd which had gathered at the scene started attacking police.

As a result, public order police and anti-gang unit members were deployed to quell the situation and restore calm.

After calm was restored, police discovered that a man had also been shot dead.

“Detectives are investigating both murder cases. The investigation is also looking into the identity of the 31-year-old man,” Potelwa said.

The situation in the area was calm on Wednesday morning, as police officers were still patrolling the area, he added.