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Three officers from Ntungamo are now in custody at Kisoro Central Police Station after fatally shooting a 26-year-old commercial motorcyclist on March 12.
The victim, Hassan Mwijuke from Kisoro District, was accused of stealing a red Bajaj Boxer motorcycle a few days earlier in Mbarara. Police tracked him to the Kisoro-Bunagana road where he was trying to pick up a passenger. When officers moved in to arrest him he tried to speed off, warning shots were fired, and one officer then shot him dead. Six empty cartridges were recovered at the scene.
Kigezi regional police spokesperson Elly Maate says investigations are still going on to establish exactly what happened. The arrested officers are PC Muhammad Okedi and Corporals Patson Niyonzima and Gerald Abisinguza.
This is not the first time we have seen security personnel involved in fatal shootings that later raise serious questions. With another recent case of a police officer killing a UPDF soldier over just Shs 2,000 still fresh in people’s minds, many Ugandans are once again asking when lethal force becomes the first option instead of the last. For now the three officers remain detained while the family of the dead rider waits for answers.
