Autopsy: Police shot Murang’a bank raid suspect nine times

A suspected bank robber, believed to have raided a bank in Murang’a county, was shot nine times, the autopsy has revealed.

Pathologist Kamotho Watenga from Murang’a District Hospital, who conducted the postmortem, said the suspect was shot three times in the head and six times in the back.

He said the three bullets in the head had entry and exit points but the other six bullets had no exit points.

In an exercise that took close to three hours, the pathologist said the suspect died of gunshot wounds and also had bruises on the legs, wrists and back, indicating that he could have been hit with a blunt object.

Kamotho said an X-ray scan will have to be conducted to establish if the bullets are stuck in the body.

He said there is a possibility that the bullets used are the ones which fragment once inside the body for maximum impact.

Conclusive report

“The body will be taken for scanning so that we are able to establish where the bullets or the fragments are so that we can have a conclusive report,” he said.

He further stated that the suspect could have been shot at close range but added that the ballistic experts will analyse that.

Watenga said the body will only be released to the family after a full pathology report is done as required by the law.

The autopsy of the other body was however not conducted because it’s yet to be identified. Francis Kang’ethe, the father to the suspect identified as Joseph Kamau Kange’the aged 30 said he learnt of the incident through the media which really shocked the family.

The father said he first saw the photos of his son together with the other suspect handcuffed while sitting down but shortly, other photos of the their bodies sprawled on the ground followed.

“When I saw the first photo, I was expecting that he would be taken to court but the turn of events was shocking and we are having many questions,” he said.

“We need answers on what transpired after they were arrested because they ought to have been taken to court but not executed in such a manner,” added the father.

Kang’ethe said his son grew up as an obedient man and had no mischief even in school.

Served in police force

He also revealed that the deceased was a former police officer who served in the force for five years between 2017 and 2021 when he was given summary dismissal for deserting duties.

“He has been doing casual jobs and not at any time did I suspect that he could be involved in any criminal activities,” he added. Stephen Mugacho an officer from the Independent Medical Legal Unit (IMLU) said they are closely following the matter.

He said the report from the pathologist will inform their next course of action.

“We want the investigations done thoroughly and those found culpable for the death of the two to face the law,” said Mugacho. The two suspects were killed on Sunday after they reportedly raided a bank and made away with Sh.4 million.

They are said to have been part of a six member gang but the others are yet to be arrested. Part of the money stolen was recovered alongside the two guns believed to have been stolen from the police officers at two different instances and they were also used in the bank raid.