Sergeant Nchimunya Choongwe, a Zambia Air Force officer has died after being beaten at Woodland Police station where he was detained on Friday.

According to an investigation, Sgt Choongwe was driving around Nyumba Yanga area on Friday and was involved in a confrontation with another motorist following an accident.

Witnesses explained that Sgt Choongwe bashed his car into another vehicle but that he became violent in the confrontation, forcing onlookers to call the police.

Sgt Choongwe was then arrested and detained at Woodlands Police station after he picked another quarrel with one of the police officers.

According to impeccable sources, one of the officers at Woodlands Police ordered the inmates who were already in police cells to beat Sgt Choongwe, which they did, resulting into his death.

When contacted this afternoon, Lusaka Province Police Commissioner Nelson Phiri confirmed the death of the ZAF officer adding that the inmates would all be charged with murder.

Phiri narrated that Stg Choongwe turned violent when he was approached by police officers who went to the accident scene.

“The man died on his way to the hospital after having been beaten by fellow inmates in the cells. First of all, he caused an accident, bashed into somebody’s car. So that accident was reported at Nyumba Yanga Police Post and officers went to attend to it,” Commissioner Phiri narrated.

“But somehow he became violent, such that it had to take a reinforcement from Woodlands Police. He actually assaulted one of the police officers, so he had to be taken to Woodlands police station.”

Asked if the ZAF officer was in a drunken state, Phiri said he could not confirm that in the absence of a medical report.

“So he was detained for assault on police, now in the cells again he picked up a quarrel with inmates there, who descended on him and beat him up. Others called officers who were on duty. The officers rushed there and saw that he was in bad shape. They tried to rush him to the hospital and on arrival there, he was pronounced dead,” said Phiri.

“The inmates will be charged for the offence of murder if it will come out that he died of beatings. That is what we are doing and the inmates are still with us.”