By A Correspondent

BULAWAYO – A police officer was fatally shot in Sizinda, Bulawayo, after he stopped five men who appeared suspicious and asked them to identify themselves shortly after midnight on Friday, according to police.

Sergeant Abel Masava, who served at Tshabalala Police Station, was attending to a domestic violence case and was standing next to a police vehicle when he noticed a group of five men dressed in dark clothing approaching.

The police report states that Masava stopped the men, inquiring about their origin and asking them to identify themselves.

“One of the men pulled out a firearm and shot Sergeant Masava in the head… He was quickly transported to United Bulawayo Hospitals, where he was declared dead upon arrival,” a police source revealed.

Masava was in his police uniform at the time of the shooting.

Earlier, the fallen officer had left the police station with a colleague after being called to a home in Sizinda where a woman had reported being assaulted by her husband. While the second officer, the domestic violence victim, and her friend were attempting to enter the house, Masava, who was standing next to the vehicle, was shot.

Masava’s death marks the second police officer fatality on duty in Bulawayo within a month.

On March 6, Detective Cassandra Hove was killed after being shot in the chest by a fellow officer in Pumula South suburb. It was later revealed that the bullet intended for an armed robbery suspect had struck Hove, and a police officer was charged in connection with her death.