HARARE – A woman was killed and a second passenger is in hospital after police opened fire on a pirate taxi in Harare on Wednesday.
Police said the driver of the Toyota Hiace with no number plates avoided a police checkpoint in Gletwin suburb resulting in a high-speed chase, during which police shot at the vehicle.
“The kombi driver did not stop despite injury to some passengers. On approaching Juru Growth Point, the driver drove into Dzvete dust road for about 7km and dumped all the passengers before speeding away,” police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said in a statement on Thursday.
Police are holding the vehicle driver, 28-year-old Nyasha Sawada who has been charged with failing to stop for police officers, operating public transport without exemption, failing to render assistance to an injured person and malicious damage to property.
Nyathi said “full-scale investigations to look at the whole incident are in progress.”
“The ZRP is deeply saddened by this tragic incident and urges kombi owners to be exemplary and law-abiding citizens. We implore them to inculcate good conduct in their drivers at all times,” he added.
Police have previously faced lawsuits from similar shootings, but their operational procedures do not appear to have changed.
