BISHOP’S SHOOTING: SUSPECT CALLED BACK AFTER DROPPING MOBILE PHONE WITHIN BISHOP RESIDENT

The third witness in the case of the Rumbek Diocese bishop-elect testified saying a suspect called him on the night when the bishop-elect, Christian Carlassare, was shot by alleged assailants, asking him to pick up for him (the suspect) his phone at the gate within the cleric’s compound.

The third witness said he received a phone call from suspect number 2, one hour after the incident, as they were attending to the wounded bishop-elect in Rumbek Hospital, asking how the situation was.

“After one hour, I received a call from (suspect number two). He said, “How are you?” But I said we are not okay. The bishop-elect has been shot on two legs and we are waiting for the results of the operation, “he explained.

He added that he received a call from the same number but from a different person, asking him to pick up his phone, which had remained in the priests’ compound after the shooting.

“After two minutes, another call came from the same number and said, “My phone remained at the compound gate. He said he came to rescue us, but I said I didn’t see you among us,” said the third witness.

The third witness knew all the suspects before, and when asked who the second caller was, he said he was suspect number 6, whose phone had dropped during the shooting.

The suspect said he saw two assailants, but the shorter one was running so fast that he could not recognise him, while the second assailant was tall and carried a gun in his right hand. He maintained that he had not recognised who the assailants were.

SECOND WITNESS:

The second witness in the case said he saw only one tall assailant carrying a gun. He tried to shoot, but instead, the bullets fell down, forcing him to run away while he dotted towards where he heard gunshots.

“It was on April 26, 2021, at 12:31 am that I heard the sound of a gun within the church. I woke up and sat on my bed. I heard the sound of a gun again and someone calling for priests. I peeped through the window and saw a tall man wanting to shoot, but instead, the bullets fell down. Then I heard Father Andrea banging on his door three times and raising his voice, saying, “Why do you want to kill priests?” Why do you want to kill the bishop-elect,” the second suspect?

He testified that the phone that remained had a red battery and most parts were set apart, but could not identify the tall man, who he said had a white veil on his head. He stated that suspect number two was with them when they were going to the hospital and stayed with them till the bishop-elect was flown to Juba and then later to Nairobi.

FIRST WITNESS:

“I saw two men, one was tall and the other was short. The tall one wanted to shoot, but the gun refused, so he ran away. The other one was still shooting at the bishop-elect who was standing at the door, and my hands were still raised. The short one saw Father Luka coming out of his fence and running away, and I ran after him, “he narrated.

When Carlassare was taken to the hospital, he said suspect number one was with them but joined them after the shooting. He identified the phone with the red battery and also identified a khaki trouser which he said belonged to one of the assailants whom he saw.

The first and second witnesses said that the bishop-elect, Christian Carlassare had not fractured bones and had not quarrelled with anyone before the incident. They could not identify the assailants because they had veiled their faces.

In the statement of the victim, Christian Carlassare, he said that the assailants were two but were not sure whether the tall assailant had a gun or not. But he confirmed that the short and slim assailant shot him.

Source: City Review SS ©