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Blantyre, Malawi, April 10 (MaraviPost) _ A senior prison warder in the Malawi commercial capital of Blantyre went on a rampage on Friday, killing two of his sons in a fit of rage, police and prison officials have confirmed.
“Yes, we have arrested Senior Superintendent Evance Chisi for shooting dead two of his sons,” police spokesman Nicholas Gondwa told Maravi Post.
Gondwa said Chisi, Station Officer for Chichiri Prison – one of Malawi largest prison facilities, was still in bed Friday morning when his 23-year-old son, Stanford, picked a quarrel with his sister, Lusungu. He said Chisi took a metal bar to try to separate the quarrelsome children but Stanford wrestled it out of him.
“Then he went back to his bedroom, picked up his official gun and shot Stanford twice, killing him on the spot,” he said.
The police publicist said still raging with fury Chisi went to the store-room where his eldest son, Russell, 29, was working. He shot him dead too. “We have arrested him but we are still investigating why he could kill his children just like that,” he said.
Malawi Prison Service spokesman Evance Phiri also confirmed the incident but said the service was still piecing together information as to what actually happened. “He has no known history of mental health issues,” he said.
Meanwhile, shocked neighbours who assembled at Chisi’s house, now a double-funeral house, in Blantyre’s low-density Sunny Side suburb could not understand How the prison officer could kill his children just like that.
“We are shocked; he was such a quiet man, very affable,” said one neighbours who declined to mention her name.
But another neighbours said Chisi was always complaining of his ‘troublesome’ sons. He could not elaborate.
Gun violence is rare in Malawi where the process of owning private guns is very strict. Apart from members of the Malawi Army, only specially-trained riot Police officers and a select cadre of prison warders are allowed to bear arms. Private security companies hardly bear arms
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But of late there have been growing incidences where police officers have rent out their officials fire arms to criminal gangs. A report coincidentally Published in Malawi’s leading daily The Nation on Friday indicated that at least 30 police officers have been arrested nationwide after being linked to Organized crime.-MaraviPost
