Killer soldier splashed 18-year-old lover’s brains with AK47 rifle, police reveal

By Staff Reporter

Corporal Henry Ncube, the rogue soldier at the centre of the shock killing of three people in Rushinga in the early hours of Saturday, callously splashed his 18-year-old girlfriend’s brain point blank with a bullet spit by an AK47 rifle as she lay innocently in his army barracks’ room.

The slain lover was named as Evernice Magwenzi, who was last to be shot by Ncube before he took his own life beside her.

Ncube’s two other victims were named as Justice Makiwa, aged 33 and Victor Mufaro Dzowa, a 38-year-old CIO operative.

The incident, according to a memo by the Officer in Charge of Rushinga police, followed scenes in which the killer soldier and a colleague publicly drank beer dressed in army gear and also clutching their AK47 rifles.

In the memo, police say Ncube was armed with a rifle loaded with 30 bullets.

Patrons at a bottle store resented the sight of armed soldiers partaking in beer while in uniform.

Further narrating the unfortunate incident, police say Makiwa was drinking beer outside his Toyota Fortuner at Rushinga Business Centre together with Dzaoma when he was approached by Ncube and his colleague.

“A conversation ensued between the two soldiers and the now deceased Justice Makiwa and they had a heated argument,” police said.

“The accused person cocked his rifle and shot Justice Makiwa on the head once and he fell down.

“The accused fired more shots, one of which grazed Corporal Simbo Tawanda once on the left hand as he was trying to disarm him.

“The accused also shot the second deceased Victor Mufaro Dzaoma on the abdomen while the latter was trying to restrain him from further discharging his firearm.”

An Inspector Munemo Munetsi was taken to hospital bleeding “profusely” and was treated.

Ncube, according to the memo, left for the army barracks where he lives and shot his unsuspecting girlfriend on the head as she lay on the bed.

He then turned the lethal weapon on himself, shooting himself on the neck.

Police later found Makiwa’s lifeless body covered with a pink cloth, blood and was oozing from his head next to his car.

Dzaoma also lay facing upwards some 7 mitres away with a gunshot wound on the abdomen.

“A trail of blood was leading from the steps of Goto bottle store to his resting place,” police said.

At the second scene, police added, the room door was wide open with his young girlfriend’s body “lying facing upwards and suspected brains were splashed on the bed”.

“She was covered with a blanket/suggesting that she was shot while asleep,” police said.

“The late Corporal Ncube was dressed in army uniform lying facing upwards and had a gun shot on the neck. Suspected brains were protruding. The AK47 rifle was between his legs.

“The two bodies were on the same bed and blankets had blood stains. One AK 47 cartridge was seen on the floor.”

Officers from the forensic science laboratory who were part of the team that attended the murder scenes are yet to determine the number of rounds discharged, according to the police memo.

In a covering comment, the officer in charge of Rushinga said “the soldiers provoked the situation by entering the public place drinking beer and armed with rifles”.