Tinashe Choto

Tinashe Choto
Tinashe Choto
Born	Kelvin Tinashe Choto
Died	January 14, 2019; Makoni, Chitungwiza
Cause of death	Gunshot wound
Known for	Victim of Police Gun Violence

Kelvin Tinashe Choto was a 22-year-old man from Makoni, Chitungwiza who died after being shot by the Zimbabwe Republic Police during the January 2019 Protests. He was a football player.

Before the family of Kelvin Tinashe Choto knew he had been killed, social media in Zimbabwe was circulating a photo of his battered body lying on the reception counter of a local police station. Angry protesters had left him there. The 22-year-old was shot in the head.^[1]

A report prepared by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission said about his death:

Unfortunately the disturbances have led to a number of deaths of civilians and a police officer. Whilst the Commission’s investigations are still in progress some facts have since been verified. For example, a 22 year old young man, Tinashe Choto died as a result of gun shots and was buried on Saturday 19 January 2019. A post mortem report read to family members by the authorities confirmed the cause of death as gun shots. Eye witnesses confirmed that the young man was shot near Makoni Police station during a face-off between the protesters and law enforcement agents. This is what incensed the protesters leading to the attack of Makoni Police Station. At least 8 deaths have been reported to the Commission and mostly attributed to use of live ammunition.
Whilst the police officers in charge were not forthcoming with their side of the story, the verified facts raise a lot of questions around the crowd control capacity of the law enforcement agents. They seem to resort to use of brute, excessive and disproportionate force in most circumstances thereby causing avoidable loss of life and also worsening the situation.^[2]

Family members are mourning the death of young footballer Kelvin Tinashe Choto who was gunned down by security forces on 15 January 2019 ( AP )

His funeral was attended by MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa. Days after his death, a statement by the Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Nick Mangwana, blamed deaths that resulted from the protests on MDC Alliance. Said the statement:

His Excellency the President has expressed deep gratitude to the majority of peace-loving Zimbabweans who resisted the MDC-Alliance’s actions of coercion and wanton hooliganism, and who instead chose to follow the path of peace and lawfulness. His heart goes out to all those families who lost their loved ones as a result of these MDC-Alliance-inspired violent acts. ^[3]