AN unidentified woman allegedly gunned down her boyfriend before shooting herself in his room at the National Railways of Zimbabwe single quarters at Raylton in Bulawayo.
The woman is suspected to have shot her boyfriend, identified as Heater Chauke, at point blank range in the head before turning the gun on herself on Sunday night at Reading House building.
Some people at the scene said they suspected the couple was killed and a murder-suicide was staged.
National Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the incident.
She said Chauke and the woman were found in pools of blood with bullet wounds on their heads.
“I can confirm that we are investigating a murder case where two people were found dead. The man was lying on the floor with a bullet wound on the back of his head while the woman was lying on the bed with a gun wound on the left side of her head,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba.
She said the pistol that was used was reported missing on the same day the couple is suspected to have died, following an unlawful entry and theft at a house in Bellevue suburb.
“The woman was holding the pistol with her right hand. The weapon used was reported missing from a house in Bellevue suburb on Sunday. The money that was stolen at that house was found in the woman’s bag,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba.
The whereabouts of Chauke’s roommate, who discovered the bodies, are unknown.
A source close to investigations said the roommate, who was away for the weekend, found the bodies of the couple with bullet wounds on their heads yesterday morning.
Chauke, suspected to be in his early 30s, was a diesel plant fitter at NRZ while the woman is suspected to be in her mid 20s.
The motive behind the murder could not be established but it is suspected that the couple had a misunderstanding after spending the weekend together, since Chauke’s roommate was away.
“Chauke’s roommate had visited his family during the weekend. I suppose the woman spent the weekend with Chauke and they had a misunderstanding which pushed her to kill him. When the roommate came back around 7AM, he found the door locked from inside,” said the source.
“He knocked but no one answered so he used his key to push the key that was in the lock and unlocked, only to find the two lying dead. The woman is said to have been holding a pistol. It is very sad that such a young woman can be brave enough to kill someone.” state media
