Teenager arrested over Chirimba murder

Police in Blantyre Friday evening arrested a 16-year-old boy over the shooting and killing of businessman Feston Chipinda in Chirimba Township.

Southern Region Police spokesperson Nicholas Gondwa said the boy, [name withheld for legal reasons], was arrested at his uncle’s house in Naperi in the city where he had gone to hide.

“He escaped after shooting the businessperson and he went straight to his uncle’s house in Naperi. It is his uncle who reported to us in the evening and we went there and arrested him,” said Gondwa.

He said police have seized the gun the boy used to shoot Chipinda.

According to Gondwa, the suspect is being kept at Soche Police Station.

He said the teenager, who lives at Chiweto in Chirimba, went to Chipinda’s shop and picked up a packet of milk selling at K200 and wanted to leave without paying.

When Chipinda asked him to pay, he allegedly shot back in a retort that angered the businessman.

Sources at the scene of the shooting told Nation on Sunday that the boy threatened Chipinda that he would be back to deal with him.

They said this scared Chipinda who reported the matter to Chirimba Police Station.

But before police could intervene, the teenager returned to the shop holding a bag where he hid the gun.

The sources said the boy  went to the entrance of the shop and fired into Chipenda’s face. The victim died on the way to the hospital.

Gondwa said the boy admitted shooting the deceased and told police that he got the gun in the visitors’ room at his parents’ house.

He said police were investigating whether the gun was bought legally and how the teenager learnt how to shoot.

Meanwhile, angry people in the township have burnt down Chirimba Police Unit and helped suspects who were being kept in holding cells to escape.

The mob descended on the unit ostensibly because officers did not act fast enough to help Chipinda.

The group also demolished the house where the boy was living with his parents, torched a vehicle parked outside the house and looted everything in the residence.

After the chaos, the group went to Kabula Police Unit, situated between Mbayani and Chemusa, but police intervened to control the situation.

However, they group burned down Kabula Market which is a stone throw away from the police unit.

Chipinda, who has left behind a wife and some children, was expected to be buried yesterday.