By 
The trial of Police Constable Fanwell Nyundu is proving that justice may not be swift, but it is relentless.
Four years after the fatal shootings of State Prosecutor Nsama Nsama Chipyoka and UPND supporter Joseph Kaunda, the Lusaka High Court has ruled that Nyundu must answer to the evidence linking him to the killings.
Justice Egispo Mwansa placed the officer on his defence, setting October 10 as the date for his testimony.
Read more: Tragedy as police officer shoots wife, brother-in-law before taking own life in Solwezi
The court found that the State had presented sufficient forensic and eyewitness evidence tying Nyundu to the December 23, 2020 shootings outside Cabinet Office, which shook the nation during a period of heightened political tension.
Key testimony came from Assistant Superintendent Daniel Banda, a ballistics expert, who explained that both men were struck by the same bullet. He testified that the round, fired from an AK47 rifle with serial number EN2650, pierced Nsama’s chest before fatally striking Kaunda in the head.
“The fatal bullet recovered from Joseph Kaunda is the very one that pierced through Nsama Nsama’s chest,” Banda said, noting that both victims were aligned in the same line of fire.
Banda further testified that 26 cartridges recovered from the Cabinet Office and cenotaph area were discharged from the same rifle.
The shootings occurred as then-opposition UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema appeared at Police Headquarters for questioning in a disputed land matter in Kalomo, an event that drew heavy security presence and crowds of supporters.
WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.
Comments