Nsama’s shooter stood at the entrance of Cabinet Office – State witness
A CRIME scene officer has told the Lusaka High Court that State prosecutor Nsama Nsama was tall and huge, therefore there is a possibility that the bullet that exited his body lodged in Joseph Kaunda’s head.
Henry Siakanyati told judge Joshua Banda that the shooter stood at the entrance of Cabinet Office and aimed at Nsama who was on the corridor of Pa Kabinet restaurant.
He said the restaurant has a window that was also the flying path of the bullet which exited Nsama’s body, as there was no hinderance.
This is in a matter where police officer, constable Fanwell Nyundu is facing two charges of murder.
The 26-year-old is on December 23, 2020 alleged to have killed Nsama and Kaunda.
Siakanyati, a senior superintendent at Force Headquarters, said he and other officers were assigned to process the crime scene.
He narrated that upon arrival at the crime scene behind Cabinet Office he noticed that there were a lot of people and proceeded to Pa Kabinet restaurant and barricaded the area so that the scene could be secured.
“Before we could process the crime scene we wanted to have a background of what transpired. We wanted to develop a theory before we could process the crime scene. The purpose of the re-construction was to ascertain the type of gun that would have been used through physical evidence that would have been found at the scene,” he explained. “We wanted to know the method of handling the scene to identify eye witnesses or the person who rendered first aid to the victims and to document the position of the bodies. We identified two witnesses: Cathia Mulungushi a cook who said Nsama had gone to get a meal when he was shot; and Keegan Chikoneka a researcher at UNZA who witnessed Kaunda falling in front of him. He noticed he had a wound and he was bleeding from the head, he tried to render help but he (Kaunda) died.”
Siakanyati said based on that information he processed the crime scene.
He recounted that Nsama was bleeding from the nose, mouth and chest while Kaunda’s body was picked by the police, but his brain tissue remained on the road.
“After developing the theory, our opinion was that the firing was from the western direction where Zambia Police vehicles were parked; after analysis of the two bodies. At the entrance of Cabinet Office, we found cartridges as well as where the Court of Arms is hanged,” Siakanyati narrated further. “The first bunch of the cartridges was found near the mango tree – about six, at the cenotaph there were eight, and three at the cannon (big military gun), and the last cartridge was picked at ZICTA. The total number of the cartridges was 18. We picked the cartridges and packed them for ballistics analysis.”
Siakanyati testified that he went to the UTH morgue and took a photo of Kaunda’s wound on the right side of his head.
The crime scene officer said other cartridges were given to him the following day which increased the number to 25.
“On December 29, we called senior superintendent Mr Mwale to give us the names and stations of the officers who conducted the operations. And we were told Woodlands, Chilenje, paramilitary Lilayi, paramilitary crack squad, protective unit, mobile unit Sikanze, Lusaka Central, and Lusaka central crack squad,” he submitted. “The preliminary findings show that the victims were killed by one bullet. The basis of my opinion is, the cartridges were fired from the cenotaph where the police vehicles were parked, and the six cartridges at the entrance of Cabinet Office. They were in the same direction with Nsama who was in the corridors of the restaurant which has a window and there were no obstructions for the bullet on the way.”
Siakanyati, who amended his report in court, said Nsama was huge and tall and the height from the feet to the entry wound measured 1.65 meters.
He said the height of exit wound from the feet was 1.60 meters and the bullet exited Nsama’s body and maintained a straight path through the window and lodged in Kaunda’s head.
He said Kaunda’s height was 1.5 meters.
“The shooters were at the cenotaph and cabinet office as they aimed at the victims. Six more cartridges were picked at ZICTA, bringing the total to 25 cartridge casings and one live ammunition was picked,” submitted Siakanyati.
Trial continues on November 30.
Credit: The Mast