TWO Harare victims of a shooting at a Glen View shebeen have appealed to the Attorney-General (AG) to rescind Harare regional magistrate Clever Tsikwa’s decision to acquit the police officer who allegedly shot them.
REPORT BY SENIOR REPORTER
Police Detective Sergeant Luckmore Lapkin (27) was acquitted after a full trial in which he was found not guilty of the attempted murder of Kudakwashe Pride Murwira, who was hit below the left ear, and Blessing Maisiri, who claims he is now living with a bullet lodged in his neck.
Murwira told NewsDay yesterday that the shooting affected his hearing and was aggrieved that they had not received any compensation.
“I need to be compensated because now I struggle to hear with my left ear,” he said. “Before the trial, Lapkin offered to give us compensation, but after the trial was concluded, he went silent.”
In the letter written to the AG on May 8, Murwira said he was aggrieved by Lapkin’s acquittal because there was overwhelming evidence of his guilt.
“The accused did not accidentally discharge the firearm. The accused raised the defence as an after-thought. Evidence led in court disproved his defence, but the court went on to (rule) in his favour. The accused deliberately fired towards us,” he wrote in his appeal.
The shooting incident occurred at the shebeen on March 31 last year around 8pm when Lapkin went to a house along 10th Crescent in the same neighbourhood where there was a pool table.
- 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
It is alleged Lapkin was provoked by the shebeen owner after referring to him as a member of the neighbourhood watch committee. Lapkin then placed his service pistol on the pool table and ordered all the patrons to leave the premises.
As people were leaving the premises through a small gate, Lapkin fired one shot towards the exiting patrons and in the process the bullet hit the two complainants.
Both Maisiri and Murwira were rushed to hospital where they received treatment for the injuries sustained, but the bullet-head lodged in Maisiri’s neck could not be removed due to medical complications.
The matter was reported to the police and during investigations, police officers recovered one spent cartridge at the scene of the incident, leading to Lapkin’s arrest.
