Crime and Courts
Police gun down murder suspect in Gweru shootout
A murder suspect was shot dead and two others arrested in a dramatic shootout with police detectives at a service station in Claremount, Gweru, on Thursday, bringing the total number of suspects accounted for in the brutal killing of Joseph Mutangadura to four.
National Police Spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that Solomon Wisdom Tariro (28) and Samuel Munyunguma (55) were arrested following the gun battle, while Valentine Mutasa (34) succumbed to injuries sustained during the exchange of fire.
A fourth suspect, Obedience Mutasa, remains at large.
The operation followed a tip-off received by detectives from the CID Homicide unit regarding the whereabouts of the suspects who had been linked to a series of murder and robbery cases at Mutangadura Hideout in Ruwa, Harare, on 17 August 2025.
“This follows a tip off received by detectives from CID Homicide regarding the whereabouts of the suspects.
“Acting on the received information, the detectives tracked the suspects to a service station in Claremount, Gweru. The suspects opened fire upon being confronted by police, leading to a shootout,” he said.
Police recovered a 9mm Canik pistol with two live rounds and an Ekol 9mm blank pistol with two blank cartridges from the scene.
Commissioner Nyathi confirmed that investigations revealed the recovered Canik firearm had been stolen in Mberengwa in September 2025. “Samuel Munyunguma is clearing two armed robbery cases which occurred in Zvishavane and Mberengwa,” he said.
Commissioner Nyathi commended the public for their role in the breakthrough, stating, “The Zimbabwe Republic Police commends members of the public for providing valuable information which led to the arrest of the suspects.”
With the arrest of Tariro and Munyunguma, Commissioner Nyathi declared that “all the suspects in the murder of Joseph Mutangadura have all been accounted for by the Police,” though the manhunt continues for Obedience Mutasa, who managed to escape during Thursday’s confrontation.