Police in Ndola have arrested a 36-year old Tanzanian national of Lubuto Township in Ndola for shooting and allegedly attempting to run over army officers who were on their routine training near Commando Unit.
Copperbelt Province acting police commanding officer Tresphord Kasale has identified the suspect as Samir Sallah of House Number 3417 Lubuto West.
Mr. Sallah is also one of the directors at Ngoro Ngoro Haulage Company.
Mr. Sallah is alleged to have fired gunshots and attempted to run over the officers after being stopped from where they were conducting their routine training along Mukolwe-Commando road.
In an interview, Mr. Kasale confirmed to journalists in Ndola that police have charged Mr Sallah with attempted murder.
He said the incident occurred on Friday at around 11:30 hours on Mukolowe Road which is located near the Zambia Army Commando unit camp.
“Fact are that soldiers were conducting their routine training along Mukolwe -Commando road and it so happened that the suspect who was driving a Toyota Land cruiser registration ABR 4500 almost bashed one of the soldiers who stood on the road to signal motorists of the activities which they were doing,” Mr. Kasale said.
Mr Kasale said when the suspect who had two occupants in his car was asked as to why he was not stopping when they ordered him to do so, he became argumentative and ended up getting his pistol and fired one shot in the air and another in between the legs of one of the victims.
“The Soldiers managed to reason with the suspect and got the pistol Taurus TMB 63376, caliber 9mm with seven rounds of ammunition,” he said.
Mr Kasale said that the pistol has been handed over to the police with two empty cartridges.
The acting Police Copperbelt chief disclosed that the cartridges will soon be subjected to ballistic examination
