A policeman shoots a student for not putting a muzzle in the Congo!
A policeman in the Democratic Republic of the Congo shot dead a student who was not wearing a mask while he was filming a video clip in the streets of the capital, witnesses said today.
"Our friend Onori Shama, a student at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Kinshasa, was filming a video as part of the requirements for practical work in acting," Bassian O'Dea, who was present during the incident, told AFP.
He added, "A policeman asked him to put a mask on during filming. Despite his explanations (Shama), and after he showed him the mask, the policeman, who was expecting to offer him money, got angry and accused him of resistance and shot him at close range."
Other witnesses told a similar story to popular radio station Top Congo as well as several online news websites.
Kinshasa police chief, General Silvano Kasongo, told AFP that the policeman responsible for the shooting had escaped and the city police were looking for him.
He pointed out that "the police arrested two policemen who were present during the accident, which happened because of their irresponsible colleague... as well as the head" of a local police station.
"The search is continuing to find the fugitive policeman," Kasongo said.
Wearing a mask is mandatory in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with violators fined 10,000 Congolese francs (five dollars).
In Kinshasa, police are regularly accused of harassment and withholding money they collect from offenders who do not wear a mask.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded 47,786 cases of Covid-19 and 1,021 deaths since the beginning of the epidemic.