TWO men who stormed Chivhu Police Post on Saturday and shot two soldiers, one fatally, were yesterday killed in a gun battle with security forces, who had cornered the duo hiding in an anthill pit.
The assailants were killed in the morning about 15 kilometres from Chivhu centre along Gutu road.
Besides the pistol they used in the murder, the assailants were also armed with the two rifles they seized from the soldiers they shot on Saturday.
The Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services has since confirmed killing of the two assailants.
“Police will soon issue a statement regarding a fatal shootout with individuals linked to the murder and attempted murder of members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA),” said the ministry of its Twitter handle.
Security services had mounted a large-scale operation to bring them to book, following their horrific shootings at a police post in Chivhu.
Police had earlier dismissed images of two handcuffed people that were circulating on social media, which some people claimed were of the two
A combined team from the police and army mounted a search immediately after the Saturday shooting in Chivu and tracked down the pair.
The two resisted arrest and instead opened fire on the police and army team. An exchange of fire ensued during which both assailants were shot and Corporal Stanalious Chiunye, from 1 Commando Regiment, was seriously injured in the leg.
Assistant Comm Nyathi said the suspects observed a security service team approaching and tried to run away. They hid in an anthill pit and exchanged fire with the security services. In the process, one security service member was shot in the leg.
“The suspects were then shot and seriously injured. They were taken to Chivhu Hospital where they were pronounced dead on arrival,” he said.
He added that two rifles, four magazines which were robbed from the two shot soldiers plus the pistol used by the criminals to commit the murder and armed robbery were recovered from the scene.
“The security service applauds the public for swiftly supplying information and cooperation with the investigation teams, leading to the location of the two robbers.
“The security services reiterates that criminal elements who want to cause alarm and disturb the peace currently existing in the country will be decisively
dealt with in terms of the country’s laws.”
Eyewitnesses told The Herald that the suspects spent part of Saturday preceding the mishap, monitoring how the security agents were carrying out their duties.
One of the good Samaritans who assisted the injured soldier after the attack, Willard Mugabe, said he witnessed the incident in disbelief.
Two women police officers were lucky to escape the ordeal unhurt.
After the duo had left clutching the stolen firearms disappearing into a bush behind the police post, vendors rushed into the police base to see if they could lend a hand.
A manhunt for the assailants was launched immediately until they located yesterday in a bushy area near the border of Chivhu and Gutu, where they were shot dead.
The two suspects are yet to be identified.
