A SENIOR policeman went berserk and fired 15 rounds of live
ammunition towards a mentally challenged man who was resisting arrest at
Beitbridge Police Station.
It is understood Chief Inspector Kenneth Mushongahande, the
officer-in-charge of Beitbridge Urban Police, went on to use an undisclosed
number of tear smoke canisters to apprehend the lone suspect who was running
amok inside the charge office.
Surprisingly, the suspect braved the barrage of bullets
meant to scare him to submission and the toxic gas, whose effect was felt some
two kilometres away at Mashakada in Dulivhadzimo high-density suburb.
The officer commanding Beitbridge District, Superintendent
Tichaona Nyongo confirmed the incident, but did not give details.
“I can confirm the shooting last night (Tuesday) at the
station and there were no injuries at all. A suspect had become violent and
police were managing him,” he said.
Nyongo refused to comment when asked whether the police had
not used excessive force considering they were dealing with a single unarmed
person, who all along had been in their custody.
A source at the police station said a man, known to be a
builder, arrived in the charge office to seek assistance in claiming his
payment from a client refusing to pay for services.
“He built a house for someone and asked for the police’s
help allegedly because the client had become hostile,” the source said.
The man looked frustrated, having been referred to
different government departments in vain. He then approached the police as a last resort.
His state changed when another man putting on church robes
entered the station and they began to exchange words and all hell broke loose.
The suspect became extremely violent and used a broom to
ward off a police dog set on him and threatened to beat up everyone.
The police fled in all directions as the man charged and
finally bolted out and sought refuge in a car park for accident damaged cars.
“That is when Mushongahande came with an FN rifle and
started firing hoping to scare the man, who stood his ground and sat in a
minibus from where he was forced out by tear smoke.
Dozens of policemen who reside at the station fled as the
sound of machine gunfire rattled.
“It seemed like the police station was under attack and
some visitors from Harare, who are here for some work, fled the station in
their cars. They thought the station was under attack,” the source said.
“It was scary. People ran all over when shots were being
fired.” Scores of Beitbridge residents swarmed the police out of curiosity
after the firing had died down.
“The gunfire was uncomfortable on a Sunday, but we wanted
to see what was happening,” one resident who lives near the police station
said.
“We had also been affected by the tear smoke and wanted to
establish what had happened.”
A security source said use of the gun and tear smoke was an
overreaction, which was unnecessarily alarming.
Mushongahande has reportedly previously used a firearm in
his office, where he injured two subordinates soon after assumption of duty at
Beitbridge Urban. Newsday
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