BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA
SIX people died yesterday after they were stabbed with spears and a knife by a man believed to be suffering from mental illness.
The incident happened at around 3am at Stone Clare in Rutendo high-density suburb, Redcliff, police have confirmed.
The suspect, Thubelithle Khoshow (26), was arrested yesterday.
Police recovered various weapons which include a hoe, axe, three spears and a kitchen knife from him.
According to a statement by police spokesperson Assistant Commission Paul Nyathi, Khoshow is a member of the Johanne Masowe sect who got mentally disturbed on Friday and acted violently while he was at his residential place at Stone Clare in Redcliff.
He was ferried to the shrine by his aunt for prayers. At the shrine, he became violent and started uprooting bushes and pushing stationary vehicles, but was subdued by some church congregants, who tied him with a rope.
But in the wee hours of yesterday, while church congregants were asleep, Khoshow managed to untie himself, got into his vehicle and drove home. He found his wife away from home.
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“The suspect armed himself with three spears, a kitchen knife as well as an axe, went to his uncle’s house, where he smashed the front dining room door using an unknown object and gained entry into the house,” Nyathi said.
“His uncle and other family members escaped through the bedroom window, leaving four children and two cousins sleeping in the dining room. They later returned to the house and found their children lying unconscious with multiple stab wounds. They sought refuge at a police officer’s house, who lives nearby.”
Khoshow followed them to the police officer’s house, where he stabbed the law enforcement agent on the back with a spear, killed a 33-year-old man and seriously injured three other people.
“The suspect returned to his residence and stabbed to death two female adults aged 56 and 85 before raping his uncle’s wife,” the police statement further read.
“The injured were referred to Kwekwe General Hospital, where three juveniles aged seven, three, and seven months died on admission.”
Nyathi urged the public to quickly report any violent person to the police to avoid loss of lives.
