City centre shooting shocks residents

There was drama when an unidentified man allegedly fired four shots at a commuter omnibus driver in the Bulawayo City Centre yesterday.

The incident, which left witnesses terrified, occurred at about 3 pm along Fife Street, near Cecil Hotel.

Witnesses said the man arrived in a green twin cab and parked alongside the kombi.

There were conflicting statements regarding the type of vehicle he was driving, as some witnesses said it was a Ford Ranger while others maintained it was a Mazda BT50.

"The man was wearing a striped shirt and khaki cargo pants. He went to the kombi driver, whipped out a gun and fired two shots at him, without speaking to him. The driver was seated in a white kombi that had a blue stripe on the side. I think the shots hit him because they were fired from point blank range. The kombi driver put his vehicle into gear and drove off," said a witness.

Vendors who also watched the drama unfold, said when people realised what was happening, they began running in different direction to avoid the gunman.

"The gunman fired two more shots at kombi as it sped off, moving in the oncoming traffic lane, towards Airport Road. A bullet shattered one of the windows and the armed man ran back to his car, which he used to chase after the kombi," said another witness.

When the Newscrew arrived at the scene detectives were picking bullet cartridges on the road.
 
Shocked witnesses were animatedly discussing the incident.

"This is the first time I have seen a real gun being fired. It is actually scary. There was no telling whether the man would turn and shoot at other people," said on of them.

Contacted for comment, police spokesperson for Bulawayo, Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo said police were yet to get a report concerning the shooting.