In the case where a 26-year-old Gweru woman was fatally run over by a fast-moving car after her boyfriend allegedly shoved her in the road, more details have emerged. In the latest twist, ZRP has cleared Lawrence James Chimombo, the suspect alleged to be on the run, citing that he is, in fact, a witness in the case.
ZRP Spokesperson in Midlands Province Inspector Joel Goko said the accused, Lawrence James Chimombo (38) of Torwood, Kwekwe, was actually a witness to the crime and was in the company of the now deceased, Melissa.
“As ZRP we want to make it clear to the public that Lawrence Chimombo is not on the wanted list over that case but he is actually a witness and we recorded his statement as a witness.
“The person who is involved in the matter is Kudakwashe Nyarota because he is the one who hit the now deceased with his vehicle.
“Nyarota was driving a BMW and he says he saw Chimombo’s Ford Ranger in the middle of the road and it was flashing him whilst Chimombo and the now-deceased were fighting behind the car. Nyarota says Chimombo pushed the girl into the oncoming BMW which Nyarota was driving.
“It is actually surprising how Nyarota managed to see what is happening behind a Ford to Ranger whilst he was flashed in his BMW and the body of the deceased was far away from the road, so we are handling the matter accordingly,” said Inspector Goko.
In an interview with the publication, Chimombo dismissed allegations that he had thrown Melissa in front of a fast-moving car.
“I am actually a victim in this matter, to begin with. I am not involved in the death of the lady in question, but I only tried to help when the accident happened and that is when Nyarota took advantage to create a story against me.
“The lady is not even my girlfriend, but we met at Parblos in Gweru where we were having a few drinks and she agreed come with me to Kwekwe for a sleep over.
“On our way to Kwekwe, just after Regina Mundi, the lady changed her mind and she asked me to drop her off so that she can return to Gweru.
“You know women sometimes are unpredictable, so I dropped her off by the road side just a few meters away from the road.
“As she was crossing the road I do not know what really happened, but I just heard a sound. I disembarked from my car to see what has happened then this guy (Nyarota) disembarked from his vehicle and came to me shivering only to notice that he had hit the lady who had disembarked from my vehicle with his car.
“I switched on the mobile phone torch only to realise that the lady was lying helplessly outside the road,” said Chimombo.
Chimombo and Nyarota are reported to have tried to call for help but could not reach the police on time and Chimombo then drove back to Gweru hospital to look for assistance, leaving Melissa’s body in Nyarota’s custody.
Upon his return, Nyarota and the now-deceased were no longer on the scene.
Surprisingly, although Chimombo had exchanged contact details with Nyarota, he drove to Kwekwe under the impression that Nyarota got help and left the scene.
“I drove back to Gweru to look for assistance, but unfortunately could not secure any help, so I returned to the scene only to find out that Nyarota and Melisa were no longer there. I thought they got help plus I was still confused so I drove home.
“After a few days, I then saw my name circulating on social media that I killed someone. I was shocked so I decided to go to the police where my statement was recorded as a witness,” said Chimombo
