Police Officer Shot Dead In Thika

A police officer attached to the Special Police Intercept and Verification (SPIV) unit was on Wednesday evening fatally shot at Cravers, Thika, Kiambu County. 

The slain police officer was patrolling together with his three colleagues when they stopped a rider whose motorcycle did not have a unique registration code required for genuine boda boda operators in Thika town.

An argument ensued between the officers and the bodaboda rider after one of the officers removed the bike’s ignition key.

The rider then drew his pistol and shot the officer in the throat. The other police officers were caught unaware and took cover while the assailant escaped.

"That police officer was shot while trying to check the motorcycle's code, and it seems the motorcycle owner noticed that his bike didn’t have the required code and got tense. They started arguing as they walked along, and in the course of that confrontation, he pulled out a pistol and shot the officer,” a witness narrated the incident.

The suspect then hijacked another motorcycle at gunpoint near the Royal Hotel before speeding away.

The police officer who was shot was rushed to Thika Nursing Home but succumbed to the gunshot injuries.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) who visited the scene recovered two spent 9mm cartridges and a CZ pistol magazine loaded with four rounds of 9mm ammunition. The recovered bullets were sent for ballistics tests.

The hawkshaws have launched a manhunt for the suspect as investigations into the shooting continue.

The National Police Service (NPS) is yet to issue a statement on the shooting incident.