Dar es Salaam — The reason behind the killings that took place at a bar at Sinza in Dar es Salaam on Saturday is still shrouded in controversy as eye witnesses and the police force give conflicting accounts of the incident.
On Saturday evening, an accountant with Tanzania Drama and Film Actors Association (TDFAA), Mr Alex Korosso – alias ‘Simba’ – shot dead one Gift Mushi before taking his own life just as soon.
The Kinondoni Regional Police Commissioner, Ramadhan Kingai, told The Citizen’s sister paper Mwananchi yesterday that the cause of the shooting which took place at Lemax Bar, was mere drunkenness.
However, eye witnesses link the shootings to frustrations resulting from dishonesty in relationships.
People who spoke to The Citizen said that the victim (Mushi) was not really Mr Korosso’s target.
They said Korosso’s target was a woman with whom he had cohabited for some time in the past.
“Korosso drove all the way from his home to Lemax Bar. She joined his colleagues, and (Korosso)repeatedly uttered the words that he had an intention of killing this woman,” said a source who preferred not to be named.
“He started firing a gun into the air before going in the direction of the bar manager where he asked about the whereabouts of the woman whom, he said, was working at the bar,” the source said.
But as lady luck would have it, the woman was not at that location at that particular time.
Mr Mushi met his death after exchanging words with the killer that he should stop threatening to shoot people who were enjoying their drinks.
“Gift Mushi was shot once in the leg, twice in the stomach, and thrice in the head. The killer then decided to also shoot himself dead,” the source explained.
Speaking to The Citizen, the bar manager, Mr Agustine Nyange, said Mr Korosso was their regular customer.
“A few days before the incident, he came here and had some drinks. He left the place, leaving behind a bill of Sh600,000,” said Mr Nyange.
The bill was later paid by his girlfriend.
Although the bill was paid, witnesses say the girlfriend had been complaining that Mr Korosso was misusing money that should have been spent on more important needs.
But, according to Mr Kingai, the shooting was simply the result of irresponsible drinking.
“After we did an investigation, we established that when Korosso set his foot in the Lemax Bar he was already drunk,” said RPC Kingai.
Mr Mushi, who was killed by Mr Korosso, is survived by a wife and a six-year old child.