The father of the 22-year-old man who was allegedly shot by a police officer in Kitwe is saddened by the death of his son and describes it as a loss to the family. A police officer in Kitwe on Monday allegedly shot dead a car wash dealer identified as Topman Mvula resulting in a riot by highly-charged residents of Buchi.

The police officer was in the company of officers from Nkana Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) who went to seal off leakages on a water pipe that was being used by car wash dealers for their business activities.
Ben Mwila, 48, described the death of his son as painful and wondered why the police officer had to fire live ammunition on someone who was not armed.

“His death is really painful and a loss to the family. It is painful to lose a child who is already grown up,” Mr Mwila said in an interview.
He said his son has been washing cars for almost four years, a business he ventured into after dropping out of school in Grade 9.
Mr Mwila said when his son was shot, the officers allegedly left the scene, leaving him to die.
“Had they rushed him to hospital, this time it could have been a different story. His friends had to mobilise transport to rush him to hospital,” he said.
Mr Mwila said on Monday afternoon, he was picked by police officers to give a statement over the death of his son and that he has left everything in the hands of the Government.

He, however, appealed to NWSC to help the family meet the funeral costs because his son died in unforeseen circumstances.
And Jacob Mbewe, 21, who witnessed the shooting incident, refuted claims that they had a confrontation with the officers from NWSC.
“We just saw the officers coming to our work premises to repair the leakages on the water pipe and of course, we had a disagreement over the matter but the next thing I saw was my friend lying on the ground,” he said.
Meanwhile, NWSC public relations manager Bivan Saluseki said in a statement that the utility is working with the Zambia Police Service to help the family with resources to meet the funeral expenses.

He said officers from the water utility were on Kazembe Road sealing off leaks on water pipes when car wash dealers started stoning them.
“The presence of our officers agitated the car wash dealers, who became confrontational and started throwing stones. One of our officers sustained a deep cut on the left of his ear and was rushed to the hospital,” he said.

Mr Saluseki said during the confrontations, a police officer was called to the scene but that his gun went off as he tried to quell the situation.
And Human Rights Commission spokesperson Mweelwa Muleya said the commission is saddened by the shooting incident as it has potential to negatively affect the country’s human rights record.

“Extrajudicial killing is a grave human rights violation and can dent the country’s human rights record. Law enforcers should be aware of the governance and human rights implications of their actions,” he said.

Mr Muleya also hoped the law will be applied fairly and squarely in the case involving a Chinese national who accidentally shot a girl in Chimwemwe.