My assistant died from a gun shot wound, sitting on his balcony, right beside his mum

“When my assistant left for his uncle’s burial, I never imagined I’d never see him alive again. Victor was a nice guy – down to earth, honest and married with kids.

When his uncle died, he took permission to travel home for the funeral. The morning he left was just like any other day. But later that night, the story changed.  

According to his wife, this is what happened: as was usual on the day before funerals, which was the day Victor travelled, there was a wake keep event and many family members and friends were seated in their uncle’s compound, sharing drinks, light meals and conversation. Amongst them were members of the hired vigilante group which provided security for the occasion (Vigilantes were common in that part of the town because of the insecurity in the villages and a lack of adequate police presence). Victor, who had not seen his mum in a while, chose to spend some time with her in their family home opposite the uncle’s – they chatted while seated on the balcony.

Out of nowhere, a gunshot ripped the air and everyone ducked in panic. One of the vigilante’s guns had accidentally discharged a shot; the bullet whizzed across the yard, straight to Victor’s house, went past his mum and into his head. No one realized what happened until his mother’s screams caught their attention and they all ran across. The woman was wailing with agony beside her son’s still body.

People rallied round, trying to revive him and when they could not, they rushed him to the closest hospital, praying for a miracle but nothing happened – he was dead. Can you believe it? My assistant died from a gun shot wound, sitting on his balcony, right beside his mother.”