BY SILAS NKALA
A Bulawayo police officer has been acquitted of attempted murder charges after he shot and injured a suspected cattle rustler at a farm on the outskirts of the city.
Enerst Dzinzi (35) from the Mounted Unit at Ross Camp was arrested after the complainant Emmanuel Mavunga (49) of Nkulumane 11, filed a police report claiming that the accused shot him with intent to kill.
Dzinzi, represented by a lawyer Tinashe Dzipe, was recently found not guilty by Western Commonage magistrate Jessy Kufa because of contradictory evidence presented by Mavunga and other state witnesses in court.
Prosecuturs led evidence from Benson Mubaiwa, Innocent Dube (ballistics officer), Derrick Matsika — a medical doctor, Tawanda Madzambe and Kudakwashe Kahwenga.
The incident occurred on June 28 last year.
Dzinzi had booked an AK 47 with 30 rounds and was deployed with one Themba Chirere to patrol the area where they saw a car parked loaded with firewood.
Kufa noted that evidence was proffered that Mavunga was not conducting essential service work at the time and Dzinzi and his colleague were looking for suspected cattle rustlers.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
She said the accused had a reasonable grounds to suspect Mavunga was carrying something stolen in his car.
Kufa said Dzinzi fired a shot when Mavunga attempted to drive way.
Evidence by the ballistics expert showed that once a bullet ricochets, the firer loses control of the direction of the round.
The magistrate also noted that there were two conflicting statements during evidence presentation, with the accused claiming that the bullet went through and left two wounds on him while the doctor said he observed one wound.
