Parents of a 17-year-old girl of Kitwe’s Chimwemwe township who was accidentally shot in the ankle by her employer are distraught by the incident and have demanded justice in the matter. The shooting incident sparked riots in the township, where two shops belonging to Chinese nationals were looted. Roydah Mumba of Chimwemwe, an employee of Yuchen Investments Limited, was shot in the leg by Goaem Ming, 42, of Parkland in Kitwe.

It is alleged that Mr Ming was playing with his gun on Friday around 18:00 hours when it went off and hit the victim in the ankle. She was on the opposite side of the till. Roydah is admitted to Kitwe Teaching Hospital, where she is receiving treatment. Neria Mumba, mother of the girl, described the shooting incident as unfortunate and described the condition of her daughter as worrying.

Mrs Mumba wondered why the Chinese national was playing with a gun in a shop where there were workers.  She said her daughter is too young to have a gunshot wound and she wants the case to be prosecuted. “We sutured the gunshot wound, the girl is alive and in a stable condition,” said Dr Chansa, who refused to have the victim interviewed or have pictures of her taken.

And police spokesperson Esther Katongo said in a statement yesterday that police have arrested Mr Ming and he is currently detained at Riverside Police Station. The shooting incident sparked riots in Chimwemwe, where the irate residents looted Yuchen Investments and another shop belonging to a Chinese national at Nakadoli market. Mrs Katongo said Mr Ming was playing with his gun when he accidentally fired it and the bullet hit the victim.

“The victim was rushed to Kitwe Teaching Hospital, where she is currently admitted,” she said. She said two people identified as Racheal Mpundu, 16, and an unidentified man have been arrested in connection with the looting.

And Kitwe District Commissioner Binwell Mpundu regretted the shooting incident and urged members of the public not to take matters into their own hands when they are aggrieved.

Mr Mpundu also urged the police to protect anyone in danger regardless of their nationality.

Recently, a Chinese national allegedly shot a 17-year-old boy in Chambishi, while another one was apprehended for a similar offence in Kitwe’s light industrial area.