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The Herald
Leroy Dzenga and Joseph Madzimure in Chivhu
TWO men who broke into the Chivhu police post on Saturday and shot two soldiers, one of them fatally, died yesterday in a shootout with the security forces, who had cornered the duo hidden in an anthill, 16 km from the Chivhu-Gutu highway.
In addition to the pistol they used in the murder, the assailants were also armed with the two rifles that they took from the soldiers they shot on Saturday.
A combined police and army team conducted a search immediately after Saturday’s shooting in Chivu and located the couple.
The two resisted arrest and instead opened fire on the police and the army. An exchange of fire ensued during which both assailants were shot and Corporal Stanalious Chiunye of the 1st Commando Regiment was seriously wounded in the leg.
Giving official details, police spokesman Deputy Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “After the tragic shooting of two members of the security service in a murder, attempted murder and robbery incident at the Chicken Inn Police Base , Chivhu on September 5, 2020 and the subsequent deployment of investigation teams, the security services inform the public that the two suspects have been identified after an exchange of gunfire at Waterbury Farm, Ward 8 Chivhu, off Chivhu-Gutu Road, ”he said.
Communication assistant Nyathi said the suspects observed a security service team approaching and tried to flee. They hid in an ant pit and exchanged shots with the security services. In the process, a member of the security service was shot in the leg.
“The suspects were later shot and seriously injured. They were taken to Chivhu Hospital, where they were pronounced dead upon arrival, ”he said.
He added that two rifles were recovered at the site, four chargers that were stolen from the two soldiers shot, plus the pistol that the criminals used to commit the murder and the armed robbery.
Asst Comm Nyathi praised the public for their cooperation, which helped locate the thieves.
“The security service applauds the public for quickly providing information and cooperation with the investigation teams, leading to the location of the two thieves.
“The security services reiterate that criminal elements that want to cause alarm and disturb the peace that currently exists in the country will be decisive
treated in terms of the laws of the country ”.
Eyewitnesses told The Herald that the suspects spent part of the Saturday before the accident, monitoring how security officers were carrying out their duties.
One of the Good Samaritans who helped the wounded soldier after the attack, Willard Mugabe, said he witnessed the incident with disbelief.
“It happened as fast as a movie. The two men were loitering around the area drinking beer, but were monitoring the movements of the security forces at the Police Base. At around 3 p.m., the officers entered the post to go about their daily routine. A few minutes later we heard some shots and we ran away ”.
Two female police officers were lucky enough to escape the ordeal unscathed.
After the duo grabbed the stolen firearms and disappeared into a bush behind the police post, the vendors rushed to the police base to see if they could lend a hand.
“We watched from a distance only to realize that one of the soldiers was killed and the other was seriously injured. We organized a car and took the wounded soldier to Chivhu hospital, the other had already died, ”Mugabe said.
A Chicken Inn employee, who declined to be identified, said that after hearing gunshots at the complex, they closed their grocery store.
“When we realized there were some skirmishes outside the store, we closed our doors,” he said, adding that security forces reacted quickly to the scene.
A manhunt of the assailants immediately began until yesterday they found themselves in a dense area near the Chivhu and Gutu border, where they were shot dead.
The two suspects have yet to be identified.
