Borrowdale Turns Into War Zone As Man Runs Amok, Fires 11 Shots at Cops

A Harare man who went berserk — assaulting his neighbours, shooting himself in the arm while trying to cut off handcuffs, and later firing 11 shots in an attempt to kill police officers — was last Friday remanded in custody to Tuesday for a bail application.

Ross Terrence Leaper (37) appeared before a Harare magistrate facing charges of assault, malicious damage to property, and failure to secure a firearm.

Leaper went viral after a video recorded at the scene captured him shouting at police officers, claiming they would be fired by their Commissioner-General, Godwin Matanga.

According to the State, on August 20, 2025, a visibly drunk Leaper stormed his neighbour Ashleigh Smith’s residence, demanding entry. Smith’s daughter, Demi Lee Du Rand, immediately alerted her father, John Du Rand — the complainant — about Leaper’s aggressive behaviour.

When the complainant arrived, he found Leaper shirtless and armed with a hunting knife. Together with his friend Brandon Ward, Du Rand tried to block Leaper from entering, but the accused forced his way inside and attacked him.

Leaper allegedly stabbed Du Rand once on the right hand and once on the left eye with the knife. Despite the attack, Du Rand and Ward managed to subdue him and called the J and P Security Reaction Team, who handcuffed him and filed a report at ZRP Borrowdale.

The complainant sustained injuries and is still awaiting medical examination.

Moments later, however, Leaper managed to escape custody and fled back to his house.

The security team returned with two police officers from ZRP Borrowdale, who were informed that Leaper had gone back inside. When they entered, they found him in the kitchen trying to cut off the handcuffs with a grinder – In the process, he shot himself in the arm while trying to cut off the handcuffs.

Instead of surrendering, Leaper became more violent. He stormed into his bedroom, retrieved a firearm, and charged towards the officers and security team.

Fearing for their lives, the police and guards retreated, abandoning a Mahindra motor vehicle (registration AFR 4672) belonging to J and P Security Company.

Leaper then unleashed 11 shots: five into the vehicle’s bonnet, three into the windscreen, one at the driver’s window, and two at the rear screen — leaving the car extensively damaged. The total value of the damage is yet to be established.

Firearms Stashed Under the Bed

Investigations later revealed that Leaper had recklessly stored an arsenal of firearms under his bed instead of securing them in a gun cabinet. The weapons included: