SANYATI – A police officer was shot dead in the early hours of Sunday at Sanyati Police Station by a man believed to be a suspect in the recent murder of Ruwa businessman Joseph Mutangadura, authorities said.
The slain officer, Constable Courage Muchechesi, 32, was shot once in the stomach inside the charge office at around 2AM, according to an internal police memorandum seen by ZimLive.
Investigators say the gunman, who is now under arrest, entered the charge office while Constable Muchechesi was attending to a member of the public who had come to report an assault case.
The assailant, armed with a pistol, allegedly demanded to know where Criminal Investigations Department detectives who had earlier raided his home were, while also demanding US$1,000 he alleged had been “stolen” during the raid after he fled.
The suspect ordered Muchechesi and the other man to lie down before firing a shot as Muchechesi tried to run into an adjoining office.
The officer was hit in the stomach and staggered out of the building, shouting that he had been shot, before collapsing near the single quarters.
He was found lifeless and bleeding moments later by fellow officers, the memo said.
The suspect is believed to have earlier exchanged gunfire with detectives from CID Homicide who had visited his home in connection with the murder of Mutangadura. He reportedly shot and wounded one officer before fleeing.
The officer is stable in hospital and is expected to survive.
In a chilling video recorded after the shooting, the suspect claimed the detectives had taken US$1,000 from his house. He said he went to the Sanyati charge office to confront them — but the CID officers were not there. He said he shot Constable Muchechesi, who had no involvement in the case, for merely ignoring his instruction to lie down.
Police teams from Kadoma and Chegutu attended the scene and recovered a spent cartridge near the charge office door.
