Riaan 
Iphoyisa laseVirginia “izinhlanzi” intombazane yase-Riverside, 15, eyahamba ngemoto yaya eCalifornia ngasekupheleni konyaka odlule yabulala amalungu omndeni wayo amathathu yahluleka ukuhlola isimo sayo sengqondo ngaphambi kokuqashwa ngamaphoyisa aseVirginia State Police, abameli bomndeni wale ngane esaphila okusolakala ukuthi esazisweni esisemthethweni.
Ummeli ozinze eManhattan Beach, uDavid Ring, omele ingane yakubo encane kanye nomqaphi wengane ngokusemthethweni, uMychelle Blandin, wenze lezi zinsolo emqulwini othunyelwe ngoLwesithathu ezikhulwini zaseVirginia ezitshela ukuthi umndeni uhlela ukumangalela.
Amaphoyisa athe u-Austin Lee Edwards, 28, wadoba intombazane ngokuzenza umfana oneminyaka engu-17 ubudala ku-inthanethi.
U-Edward wabulala uMark Winek, 69; Sharie Winek, 65; noBrooke Winek, 38; futhi bathumba intombazane ngoNovemba 25, ngosuku olulandela i-Thanksgiving. Ube esehamba ngemoto ebheke ogwadule lwaseMojave, lapho ehole khona amasekela ngokujaha. Iziphathimandla ziqale zathi ubulawe ngesikhathi kudutshulwana kodwa ngokuhamba kwesikhathi zathi ubulawe isibhamu sakhe esidubula eskhali sakhe somsebenzi. Intombazane yayingalimele emzimbeni.
Ngokwesaziso somthetho, esitholwe yiThe Times, izikhulu zamaphoyisa aseVirginia State “ziyalele” ukuthi u-Edward ahlolwe impilo yengqondo ngemuva kokudalula. isigameko sango-2016 lapho evakashele khona isikhungo sabagula ngengqondo. Ngemuva kokuthi u-Edward ehlulekile ukuhlaziya, amaphoyisa ombuso “ayigqiba ngamabomu” imiphumela futhi amqasha, kusho abameli bomndeni.
Amaphoyisa aseVirginia State anqabile ukuphawula.
UCorinne Geller, okhulumela amaphoyisa esifundazwe, phambilini uthe le nhlangano ayitholanga “izinkomba zokukhathazeka” ngesikhathi kuhlolwa “okubanzi” kwe-Edward. Kepha ukubika kweThe Times ezinyangeni eziyisithupha ezedlule kudalule umlando ka-Edward wezinkinga zempilo yengqondo – nobufakazi bokuthi le nhlangano ibizazi.
U-Edward utshele amaphoyisa aseVirginia State ngesikhathi enenhlolokhono aye kuyona isikhungo sezempilo yengqondo ngo-2016. Lokho isigamekolapho u-Edward azisika khona futhi esabisa ngokubulala uyise, kwabangela ukuba kukhishwe imiyalo emibili yokuboshwa futhi kwaholela ekubeni ijaji lihoxise amalungelo akhe obunikazi besibhamu.
Ukudalulwa kuka-Edward bekumele kwenze i-ejensi yaphenya kabanzi ngaphambi kokumqasha njengesikhulu somthetho, uCol. Gary Settle, ongunsumpa wamaphoyisa ombuso, uvumile ngesikhathi Incwadi kaDisemba kumhloli jikelele waseVirginia.
“UVirginia ulilahle ngokuphelele ibhola,” kusho uRing esitatimendeni. “Ayikho i-ejensi yezomthetho ezweni ebingaqasha u-Austin Lee Edwards, uma kubhekwa umlando wakhe wezempilo yengqondo,” engeza. “U-Edwards wayenqatshelwe yizinkantolo ukuthi abe nesibhamu. UVirginia wamnikeza isibhamu, ibheji, nekhono lokwenza lezi zenzo zokubulala ezinyantisayo.”
Izaziso zomthetho ezithunyelwe eVirginia zithi umndeni, obuye welulekwa ngummeli wase-El Segundo, u-Alison Polin Saros, uhlose ukumangalela umbuso kanye neWashington County, ihhovisi likasherifu laliqashe u-Edwards ngesikhathi eshona. Izaziso ziveze ubudedengu obukhulu ekuqashweni kuka-Edward futhi zafuna nomonakalo ongaphezu kuka-$100 million.
“Kwenzeka kanjani ukuthi kungabi neyodwa kodwa izikhungo zomthetho zaseVirginia ezimbili ezingaqashi kuphela umuntu ovele wanqatshelwa ukuphatha isibhamu, kodwa zamqeqeshela amaqhinga nophenyo lwamaphoyisa, okwamvumela ukuthi akwazi ukufinyelela emndenini nokwenza ukubulawa ngesihluku,” kubhala uSaros esitatimendeni.
U-Edward wayeqashwe amaphoyisa kahulumeni izinyanga eziyisishiyagalolunye nje ngaphambi kokuba esule ngo-Okthoba 28 futhi wajoyina iHhovisi likaSheriff County waseWashington County njengesekela lika-patrol ngoNovemba 16. Wayesebenze ehhovisi likasherifu isikhathi esingaphansi kwamasonto amabili lapho ebulala Izindawo zokuhlala e-Riverside.
