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Open"Bullet That Killed Detective Cassandra Hove Ricocheted Off Armed Robbery Suspect's Arm"
A Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officer, accused of fatally shooting Detective Constable Cassandra Hove during a police operation in Bulawayo earlier this month, appeared in court on Tuesday, March 18, facing a murder charge.
Constable Nomore Muradzikwa, 37, stationed at Hillside Police Station, was brought before Bulawayo Magistrate Maxwell Ncube.
He was not asked to plead and was advised to apply for bail at the High Court. Muradzikwa was represented by Tinashe Tashaya of Sengweni Legal Services and was remanded in custody to April 1.
The prosecution, led by Nkanyezi Xaba, outlined the events of March 6, 2025, when Muradzikwa and Detective Constable Hove were part of a team pursuing armed robbery suspects in Pumula South. Their target was 26-year-old Fikile Ncube, a resident of Pumula South.
Around 8:30 PM, the officers confronted Ncube in the Habbek area, near the home and church of Prophet Ngwenya.
Xaba told the court that Muradzikwa was armed with a CZ pistol (serial number BSAP 44) when he advanced toward Ncube, who was a robbery suspect under investigation by CID Homicide. Said Xaba:
Muradzikwa was armed with a CZ pistol when he advanced towards Fikile Ncube. He corked his firearm and shot him hitting him once on the left elbow after which the bullet ricocheted and hit Hove once on the left breast resulting in her death.
The court also heard that the CZ pistol was recovered in Muradzikwa’s possession.
Initially, police had claimed that Detective Constable Hove was shot by armed robbers during the operation. However, Muradzikwa later admitted to firing the fatal shot.
Meanwhile, Hove’s family, who attended court, said they did so after learning from the media that Muradzikwa would be appearing.
They expressed their frustration with the police, once again criticising their handling of the case. Abias Hove, the brother of the late detective said they expected the police to inform them first.
The family of Detective Constable Cassandra Hove still has many questions about her death, including why it took two weeks to bring her alleged killer to court.
Hove, a member of Bulawayo’s elite all-female CID unit, Team Lozikeyi, was buried on March 10 at her rural home in Mberengwa. She left behind four children.
Meanwhile, Fikile Ncube, the alleged suspect shot by police, spent several days under guard at Mpilo Central Hospital before being transferred to Khami Prison.
His friends deny he is an armed robber, claiming Ncube came to Bulawayo to care for his unwell mother, who has been receiving treatment from Prophet Ngwenya.
They said when he was shot, Ncube had been at Emabhombeni, near Ngwenya’s residence, where “bombing,” a ritual involving smashing bottles of “prayer water” against rocks, is performed.
More: ZimLive
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