Zim police officer kills baby while beating mother with button stick in Harare

A Harare-based Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officer reportedly killed a baby while attempting to beat the child’s mother with a button stick on Monday in the capital, sources say.

An out of control police officer is alleged to have struck the toddler, who was strapped to his mother’s back with his truncheon.

The baby, who is reported to be 9-months-old is alleged to have died instantly following injuries sustained in the attack

This is to have occurred on Monday, before the first day of the 30-day national lockdown, which was imposed by the government in an attempt to curb the spread of the second wave of Covid-19.

The incident reportedly occurred along Second Street as police officers were trying to disperse people from an illegal pick-and-drop point for Harare to Bindura commuters.

A video has gone viral on social media which shows the grieving mother holding the dead baby in one hand while holding the police officer in the other. The police officer appears to be trying to free himself from her grip, while a crowd has gathered, ostensibly to effect a citizen’s arrest on the overzealous police officer.

An angry social media user said the crowd should have died with the rogue officer:

A law enforcement agent who has no regard for human life, thinks every problem can be solved by violence is a thug. We can’t have thugs masquerading as police officers. That murderer deserves a death penalty. By the way, the mob should have finished him by the way.

Vanehama mapurisa udzai hama dzenyu dziite dzungu shoma please.
A police officer in Bindura arova mukadzi nemboma,akabva auraya mwana anga ari kumusana.@PoliceZimbabwe who said people should be beaten, can't you take people to the station
This is bad💔💔 pic.twitter.com/UTVAUxsUXW

— Alice Tsungu (@TsunguAlice) January 5, 2021

Source | ZW News