Harare Trio Arrested for Shooting ZRP Police Officer

A trio of Harare men were arrested for allegedly disarming and shooting a ZRP police officer following a quarrel over parking.

Trio Granted Bail

The three are Samuel Tinotenda Muronzi (23), Lionel Rupiya (34) and Jonathan Paul Chishiri (30). They appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi, where they were remanded out of custody on US$200 bail each. The trio will return to court in two weeks for their routine remand.

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Confrontation Over Blocked Vehicle

Prosecutor Nigel Chanakira alleged the incident occurred on May 28th. Police officers had parked their Toyota Vigo on the roadside to conduct inquiries. When they returned, the three accused men, who were driving a Ford Ranger, began complaining that the detectives’ vehicle had blocked their way for too long.

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Detectives Assaulted and Disarmed

They then allegedly dragged the detectives from their vehicle. When they realized one detective was armed, Rupiya is accused of disarming and shooting him once in the knee cap.

“The accused persons disembarked from their vehicle and opened the complainant’s vehicle door,” prosecutors told the court. 

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Detectives Kidnapped at Gunpoint

Muronzi then allegedly took charge of the firearm. The men are said to have dragged the other officer from the back seat, causing him to fall and sustain a head injury. Chishiri then took possession of the detective’s 9mm service pistol.

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Fearing for her life, a female officer managed to flee the scene. The trio allegedly threw the two male detectives into their Ford Ranger and drove towards Glen Norah police station, with Muronzi firing five shots along the way.

Arrests at the Police Station

When they reached the police station, the men allegedly made a sudden U-turn, saying they wanted to take the detectives to a different location to assault them further. However, the under-siege detectives alerted a gate officer, who lowered the boom gate to prevent the suspects’ escape, leading to their arrests.