By Own Correspondent| The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) indicated in their court papers that Llyod Boniface Kobekile (24) was acting in self-defence when he shot and killed a suspected parking tout in Harare’s CBD on Wednesday.

Witnesses to the shooting incident which occured at the corner of First Street and Kwame Nkurumah avenue emerged with others alleging that Kobekile was refusing to pay for parking space.

He allegedly threatened the touts before they teamed up against him and started assaulting him.

Police, on their part, say  the deceased confronted Kobekile’s sisters who had remained in the car while the shooter was pursuing some private business within the city centre.

Read part of the police statement:

“During that time some of the deceased’s colleagues broke the window of the accused’s motor vehicle, stuffed some cardboard boxes and set it on fire.

The accused tried to escape but the deceased and his friends continued to attack him with stones and iron bars.

The accused ran away along Kwame Nkrumah towards First Street and the deceased and his friends gave him a chase and continued stoning him. The accused then produced his AG Brevet pistol, serial number 330822 and fired three warning shots in the air but the deceased and his colleagues continued attacking him.

When they arrived at the intersection of First Street and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, the accused fired and shot the deceased in the head.”

Kobekile  was on Friday hauled before a Harare magistrate facing murder charges. He was ordered to apply for bail at the High Court.

Kobekile is being represented by lawyers Oliver Marwa and Tendai Rusinahama, who are fighting to have the murder charge reduced to culpable homicide.