Suspect arrested in fatal nightclub shooting over missing token on Christmas Day
In a tragic incident on Christmas Day, a 21-year-old man was shot and killed at a local nightclub following a dispute over a missing token during a game of snooker.
Police have now apprehended the suspect responsible for the shooting, identified as Takeknowledge Mthombeni, aged 39. Additionally, the police have successfully recovered the firearm used in the crime.
The arrest follows a recent statement by the police, announcing their investigation into the murder of Wilson Malunga, who was fatally shot by an unknown assailant in Filabusi around 1:30 am.
According to the preliminary investigation, the suspect and the victim were engaged in a heated argument at the nightclub after the victim realized his token was missing. Allegedly, Mthombeni left the premises and returned with a pistol from his parked Toyota Fun Cargo vehicle. Without warning, he fired a single shot at Malunga’s head before hastily fleeing the scene.
Confirming the arrest, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the national police spokesperson, released a statement:
“Reference is made to the ZRP message on X platform on December 26, 2023, in which Wilson Malunga aged 21, was shot dead by suspect, Takeknowledge Mthombeni aged 39 while playing snooker in Filabusi on December 25, 2023, at around 0130 hours.
“The police have arrested the suspect at Mabhuru Business Centre, Neta in Mberengwa. The firearm used in the commission of the crime has been recovered. The suspect is now facing another charge of armed robbery in relation to the case which occurred in Mberengwa on December 23, 2023, where the firearm used to kill Wilson Malunga was stolen.”
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Bulilimamangwe, police officers conducting a routine patrol near the Ramakwebana River in Plumtree arrested two individuals in possession of an FN Baby Browning pistol loaded with a magazine containing seven live rounds. The suspects, identified as Limukhani Mphofu, aged 27, and Zenzo Mphofu, aged 37, were promptly apprehended.
