A 48-year-old man from Meeke Village in Choma district in Zambia, has tragically died after being shot by an unknown assailant while in bed with his wife on the night of January 6, 2025.

Southern Province Deputy Commissioner of Police, Moono Namalongo, has confirmed the news and identified  the deceased as John Muchindu.

According to Namalongo, Muchindu had joined his wife, Lilian Muleya, 39, in bed around 8:00 PM. Muleya had retired to bed earlier that evening. Around 10:00 PM, the wife was startled by the sound of a gunshot. She then realized her husband was severely injured and struggling for breath.

Frightened, Muleya left the bedroom to check on their children, who were sleeping in another room. She then contacted her 24-year-old son, John Muzyamba, who lives in a separate house on the same property. Upon hearing the gunshot, Muzyamba rushed over, and when the mother and son returned to the bedroom, they discovered Muchindu lifeless in a pool of blood. They immediately alerted neighbors.

The incident was reported to Macha Police Post at 5:50 AM on January 7, 2025, by Agrippa Malawo, 61, of Ntomba-Banyama Village in Chikanta Chiefdom, Kalomo district, who identified himself as the deceased’s brother.

Police officers who responded to the scene found Muchindu’s body face down, and an inspection revealed a large wound on his back. A suspected projectile was recovered from the bedroom. The officers also noted that the bedroom window had been left open by the family, citing the heat.

The bed where the deceased was sleeping was positioned directly by the open window, and a wooden stool was found outside, suggesting that the shot may have been fired from that direction.

At this stage, the motive for the killing remains unclear, and investigations are ongoing as police seek to identify the assailant responsible for this tragic incident.

The Southern Province Police have called for the public’s assistance with any information that could help solve this case