Police officer who shot a Mbala golfer arrested for murder
By Staff Reporter
The incident in which police in Chipata shot dead a Mbala based golfer after suspecting him of being a criminal has taken a new twist.
This is after a postmortem which was conducted from Chipata Central Hospital yesterday revealed conflicting findings from Zambia police statement.
According to a postmortem James Bwalya Chishimba believed to be a Zambia Air Force officer had two bullet wounds on two different parts of his body, with one hitting him on his back, which came out through the stomach.
The findings further revealed that the other bullet went through his right thigh, it also suffered fractured 6th and 7th ribs.
Meanwhile, the coroner’s authority of burial signed by magistrate Moses Mkumba Phiri states that Chishimba died from extensive liver and right injury with Hemo Thoray and injury to the popliteal artery
This is however, contrary to what Eastern Province Deputy Police Commissioner Geoffrey Kunda told journalists on Tuesday that Chishimba was accidentally hit once by a stray bullet after the police officer who was guarding ZRA, Zambia Revenue Authority offices fired warning shots after suspecting the deceased of wanting to open the ZRA cash gate.
And Chipata Golf Club Captain Edward Phiri has expressed concern the manner in which police handled the matter.
Phiri noted with sadness that the police service who are supposed to protect the public were trying to conceal the truth behind the shooting incident.
“It is quiet unfortunate that the police who are supposed to protect members of the public are trying to protect a criminal. It was shocking that after the postmortem they realized that their colleague had two wounds and a fractured leg. A thing which the police tried to conceal,” said Phiri
And Kunda stated that the police officer involved in the shooting incident has been arrested.
Kunda who could not disclose the details of the police officer, noted that the officer has been arrested and charged with murder.
And when asked for comment on the findings of the postmortem, Kunda declined to comment on the matter.
