Police officers arrested for shooting drunk man dead

Relatives of the deceased waiting to receive deceased’s body from Kabale police station. PHOTO URN

Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The officer in charge and a police constable attached to Nyanja police post in Maziba sub county, Kabale district are in trouble for fatally shooting a revealer.

OC Sergeant John Tumwesigye,59, and PC James Owomuhangi, are currently held at Kabale Central police station are accused of shooting Chris Twijomujuni,35, of Rujogoma village, Burambira parish, Kaharo sub county, Ndorwa East County,Kabale district.

Ann Twebaze, a sister to the deceased and Dustan Niwagaba, a relative, say that the incident happened on Monday night at around 11:00PM at the nearby Nyanja trading centre in Kigarama parish, Maziba Sub County.

They say that while the Twinomujuni was with his friends in a bar that belongs to a woman only identified as Claire, officers while armed with an AK47 rifle emerged and tasked them to explain why they are happening past during the time of sleeping.

Claire’s bar shares the same building with Nyanja police post. The officers reportedly ordered revelers to kneel down and get arrested. Twinomujiuni’s friends however took off leaving him kneeling alone. The bereaved say that Twinomujuni later asked for forgiveness and was allowed to go home. But they claim that as he was stepping out of the bar, Tumwesigye cocked the gun and shot him in the right leg.

They say Twinomujuni was rushed to a nearby clinic and later rushed to Kabale regional referral hospital where he succumbed to excessive bleeding on Tuesday morning. Twebaze and Niwagaba condemn the shooting arguing that it was unnecessary and ask police to meet burial expenses as well as compensating the family since the deceased is survived by a widow and two children.

But, Elly Maate, the police spokesperson for Kigezi region dismisses the claims, saying that while the officers were on a night patrol in the trading centre in the early hours of Tuesday morning at around 03:00AM, they found Twinomujuni in Claire’s bar together with Dickson Turinawe, Levi Niwagaba, Jordan Ayijuka and four yet to be identified others while drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana.

According to Maate, while police officers ordered the rest to go home and moved to arrest those who were smoking marijuana, Twinomujuni and the rest blocked them. Out of the scuffle, sergeant Tumwesigye released bullets and one injured Twimomujuni who later died.

Maate says that in addition to the arrest of the two officers, police have also managed to arrest Turinawe, Niwagaba and Ayijuka. Maate adds that investigations into the matter are ongoing.

By press time, the deceased’s body was in a police patrol pickup at Kabale police station as relatives also waited for response from police. A police officer told our reporter on condition of anonymity that Hajji Ibrahim Saiga, Kigezi regional police commander was still communicating with superiors at headquarters to see if police can fund the funeral.

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