SIMON MUNTEMBA writes
THE rouge police officer, who had gone on a shooting spree in Lusaka’s Chainama area, has died after shooting himself in the stomach.
Police spokesperson, Esther Katongo, who rushed to the crime scene, assured residents in the locality that they were safe following the death of officer Jackson Mwanza early yesterday morning.
Ms Katongo told the Sun team that was at the crime scene that the officer had called his colleague from State House, offering to hand himself in but he seemed to have changed his mind.
She explained that though the State House officer was sceptical about Jackson’s intentions, he showed up at the scene where his friend had been hiding after killing two people and injuring several others.
Jackson had disappeared in the Chainama Golf Club thicket on Saturday as he eluded Zambia Police and Zambia Air Force officers who had been hunting him.
While the officers combed the area Jackson had stayed buried in the thicket at the Golf Club.
However, Ms Katongo, explained that when his friend showed up, Jackson emerged and appeared to want to surrender but changed his mind as several shots were heard and he fell to the ground in a pool of blood.
The Sun: Could you explain what happened?
Esther Mwaata Katongo: He ran to this place after he shot those people (the victims) and he was hiding in the grass after shooting them and that’s how he was surrounded by Police officers. So he had no way out until this morning around 07:30 hours that he fired at himself.
“ Actually before killing himself, he even called his colleague from State House to say he wanted to hand over a fire arm so that he could be arrested and when his friend came, he moved out of his hiding place (the grass) and went to a place where he shot himself.
“The friend was actually telling him that, ‘I am scared coming near you because I know you are armed, but he said no, I will put the fire arm down so that you can come and pick it’. So as the friend was approaching, he picked the AK 47 riffle and fired several shots in the air. After that he then turned the gun on himself and fired above his stomach.
“And when officers came closer to examine the scene, they found about 20 cartridges, meaning that he fired about 20 rounds of ammunition. The magazine was empty, he had exhausted all rounds of ammunition.
“So, we wish to assure the members of the community of this area that they are now safe because this person who was causing fear in them is now no more. As we are speaking his body is in UTH mortuary.
The Sun: Why did he have so many rounds of ammunition?
Esther Mwaata Katongo: If you are an officer, you are entrusted with a fire arm with any number ammunition because you are a law enforcing officer and you can be faced with any situation which can require you to respond to. So what matters is how you use your ammunition.
Ms Katongo however said the dead officer of unknown residence was aged between 35 and 40 years.
