US man dies after shooting

2002-11-12 13:50

Harare - An American died in hospital in Zimbabwe after being shot by police while he tried to flee from a checkpoint in a vehicle without a valid permit, police said on Tuesday.

A spokesperson confirmed a report in the state-controlled Herald newspaper that the 54-year-old lecturer, who was visiting from neighbouring South Africa, was shot after he tried to over-run a security roadblock in Zimbabwe's eastern town of Mutare on Monday. He died three hours later.

The spokesperson declined to give the dead man's name and other personal details, saying they would only do so once his relatives had been informed and a police probe was completed.

Officials at the US embassy in Harare confirmed they had heard about the death but were waiting for a report from the Zimbabwean authorities on the circumstances of the shooting.

Police said the man, whose US passport had a temporary residence permit for South Africa, was driving a car with South African registration whose temporary import licence for Zimbabwe had expired in October.

The police said the officers shot at his car twice, and one of the bullets went through and hit him in the shoulder.

- Reuters