Sweet potato vendor killed

By JACKSON MAPAPAYIA 20-year-old-man has died after being pushed off a moving vehicle in Mushindamo district.The incident happened on Tuesday around 19:00 hours near St Dorothy area along the Solwezi Chingola road.North Western province Commissioner of police, Elias Chushi, identified the deceased as James Petesha, who was selling sweet potatoes before he died.Mr Chushi explained that Petesha was pushed and plunged to the ground as he was trying to get his money from a passenger who was on a moving light truck.He explained that Mr Petesha was trying to get money from a passenger on a Mitsubishi Canter registration number BAB 6751 being driven by Samson Musonda of Messengers Compound in Solwezi.There were six people on the truck and one of them had alighted and got a bag of sweet potatoes from Mr Petesha.Mr Chushi said, however, that the passenger did not pay for the sweet potatoes and jumped on the truck which immediately started off.“The vehicle drove off prompting the owner of the sweet potato James Petesha of Mufukula village to try and jump on the moving vehicle to claim for his money, but one of the passengers pushed him off,” he explained.Mr Chushi said the victim plunged to the ground and sustained fatal head injuries and died on the spot.He said after a tip off from members of the public, police mounted a roadblock and later impounded the vehicle.Police arrested the driver and the four passengers who were seated at the back of the vehicle.“All passengers including the driver will be jointly charged for murder and will appear in court soon. But for now, the deceased’s body is in the mortuary at Solwezi General Hospital mortuary awaiting post mortem,” he said.