Police officer opens fire, kills colleague and injures his boss
A General Service Unit (GSU) officer opened fire on his colleagues at their camp in Meru, killing one of them and injuring his senior, on Tuesday night.
Shooting at Kaongo Kampio GSU camp comes just three days after a Constable shot his pregnant wife 13 times in front of their two-year-old child, killing her on the spot, before turning the gun on himself in Suna West, Migori county.
The worrying trend is an indication that conflicts, however petty, are likely to escalate into deadly and violent encounters.
Experts have attributed this to stress and, to some extent, availability of firearms. At the GSU camp, Constable Abel Kirwa Chumba is said to have shot his colleague, identified as Constable Pontianus Ikomoli, killing him on the spot.
Constable Chumba also shot the in-charge, Inspector Michael Ngugi, in the left hand and escaped with his firearm.
Detectives rushed to the scene and recovered 13 spent cartridges.
“He was shot in the left eye and the bullet lodged in the head. Another bullet hit his left hand near the elbow,” the local police commander said.
The commander said the Inspector was shot in the left arm and is admitted at Methodist Maua Hospital. The officer was yesterday morning tracked down and arrested. His colleagues also recovered the murder weapon, a G3 rifle loaded with seven rounds of ammunition. ”
