SIMON MUNTEMBA and NOEL IYOMBWA write
A GRIEVING brother of one of the men killed by a rogue cop is shocked that the officer was given a gun and ammunition when the same man had earlier on stabbed someone at a police station in full view of other officers.
Grieving Family
As the family looked for answers following the killing of their son, Dickson Mwanza, they are wondering why the rogue officer was not detained or the incident reported to his duty station at State House, who could have arrested him instead of issuing him with an AK47 and reportedly with 90 rounds of ammunition.
And Lusaka residents around Levy Mwanawasa Hospital, Chainama College and near Chainama Golf Course, have had a few anxious two days following a shooting rampage resulting from a love gone wrong that ended with 3 tragic deaths.
Two of the dead were shot in Mtendere at a garage by the now dead State House police officer, Jackson Mwanza.
The officer, riding high on jealous, had pursued males that he suspected to be having an affair with his girlfriend, a 24 year Mtendere resident.
Jackson’s hunt for his girlfriend’s secret lover started on Friday when he confronted a Chainama College student, Nick Fungulwa, while armed with an AK47.
It has now emerged that the officer had also signed for 90 rounds of ammunition for his AK47 issue on Saturday with full intention of going after his perceived enemies or men after his girlfriends.
Lusaka Mayor Myles Sampa visited one of the shooting victim
For the grieving family, they did not have answers but have a lot of questions. Dickson’s brother spoke to the Sun and these are his comments: Timothy Sakala’s words:
What really transpired, I just learnt it because I don’t stay here. They just called that we are rushing your brother to Levy Hospital who has been shot by a police officer who was looking for his girlfriend.
The I asked how did it happen? He said it’s a long story. So I had no choice but to rush there too. By the time we were reaching the hospital, we found that the guy had lost his life and upon interviewing my young brother I was told that this guy started firing and threatening the owner of the shop where the girl was working.
Timothy Sakala brother to late Dickson
“Threatening his life, the owner of the shop decided to rush to Bennie Mwiinga Police station and the boy he had threatened at Chainama college had also rushed to the same police station.
“ The cop followed them there and started stabbing him in full view of police.
“I hope the police is strong because the numbers were few and they could not handle him. But I still blame the police because they knew where this man worked where I feel they could have gone to because he was threatening to come and harm the following day (Saturday).
“ I feel they could have gone to his station to report so that he was not given a gun, but they kept quiet and didn’t report anything and he was given a gun upon reporting for duty.
“And after getting the gun, he came back like he had promised. I hear by the time he was coming, by brother was just asking the girl how they move to the police station.
“ My brother was shot just there where they were repairing a car because that is where his shop is.
late dickson Mwanza
The Sun: How old was your brother how many children has he left?
Timothy Sakala: My brother was 33 and he has left 4 children.
According to eye witness interviewed by The Sun, officer Mwanza on Saturday morning went on shooting rampage killing one person and wounding four others in a jealous rage.
According to an eye witness who is a lecturer at Chainama college, the whole incident started on Friday afternoon.
She explained that Jackson Mwanza from State House suspected his girlfriend of Mtendere compound to be having an affair with a student at Chainama College identified as Nick Fungulwa,
The lecturer said that on Friday the officer allegedly went to the room of the student to confront him on suspicion that he had an affair with his girlfriend but the student managed to run to Ben Mwiinga police post to report the matter.
The officer then followed his girlfriend in Mtendere but she also managed to rush to the Ben Mwiinga Police post.
He followed her and found Fungulwa there too, the student he was suspecting to have an affair with his girlfriend.
The officer became violent and pulled out a military knife and stabbed Fungulwa in the head, shoulder and on the arm. This incident happened in the full view of other police officers.
Fungulwa was rushed to Levy Mwanawasa hospital where he is admitted.
On the fateful Saturday morning, the officer went to the hostel and asked a student identified as Andrew Zimba, but when he told that he did not know the whereabouts of Fungulwa the officer shot Zimba in the left leg and bruised his left thigh.
He proceeded to Mtendere Sochabe Garage where he found his girlfriend chatting with two mechanics, one of them being Dickson Mwanza, whom he immediately shot in the chest and left leg, while Albert Chinungo was shot in the forehead and died later in the ICU.
The furious Jackson then went on to look for his girlfriend who had run away and ended up shooting her friend Felistus Tembo aged 23 on her right arm.
He managed to escape and booked a Toyota Carina but later disembarked from it forcing some residents of Mtendere to pounce on the driver who was only saved by the police who impounded the vehicle.
Eliyah Sakala young brother to late Dickson
A combined team of Zambia Police and Zambia Air Force rushed to the Chainama Golf Club area to hunt for the elusive rogue officer Jackson.
Jackson managed to hide and eluded the ZAF helicopters used in the manhunt.
The search for Jackson ended yesterday morning when he reportedly turned the gun on himself and blew a hole in his stomach and ended his life.
