Police shooting victim case rages

THE family of Abel Gumbo, who was gunned down by police at Lutumba in Beitbridge on May 27 this year, has formally complained to the law enforcement agency saying they believed that he was murdered.

However, police have maintained that Gumbo was part of a gang which was responsible for a spate of armed robberies between the Limpopo river and Lutumba, which prompted a manhunt that resulted in his shooting.

The Gumbo family spokesperson Wellington Moyo said: "We have since been given case number SDD13/21. they said we could not be registered as the complainants, adding that the State must be the complainants. Police told us they are investigating the matter, but we feel they are dragging their feet in what is a straightforward case.

"They asked if we had witnesses for our side of the story and we said there were several, including a woman."

It is understood the morning when Gumbo was shot, a group of policemen and soldiers deployed to hunt armed robbers, chased him from where he was seated by the fire.

The shot allegedly hit him as he tried to enter a room at the Beitbridge rural District Council bar, some 20km north of the border town.

He was hit on the left side just below the collar bone.

According to police statements, Gumbo was armed and about to attack, a claim dismissed by the family which says the deceased was just a tout.

The family says their grandmother was last week approached by some people who identified themselves as Gumbo's assailants and were looking for a traditional healer to cleanse themselves from an avenging spirit.

"Although she was not at the shooting scene, our grandmother, who was approached, can testify meeting those people. We hope this case is dealt with while events are still fresh in witnesses' minds," Moyo said.