A police officer on Saturday shot dead one person and injured three others in a shooting spree in Lusaka, the country's capital, the police said.

The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday when the police officer went to a college to look for a student who he suspected was going out with his girlfriend, according to police spokesperson Esther Mwaata Katongo.

She said the police officer went on a shooting spree when people tried to control him after he wounded the student using a military knife.

The police have since launched a manhunt for the officer who is on the run.