Police in Kisumu have arrested a 21-year-old man following a dramatic morning shootout near the Patel Samaj Temple along St. Otieno Oyoo Street.
The incident, which caused panic among residents, unfolded after patrol officers encountered three suspicious men in the area.
Speaking on Monday, October 27, Kisumu Central Deputy Sub-County Police Commandant Bakari Mwanauli said one of the suspects opened fire after being confronted by officers.
"This morning, we had a shooting incident around Patel Samaj Temple, along St. Otieno Oyoo Street, where our officers who were on patrol saw three men. One of them had a plastic bag. Upon spotting the officers, the man with the bag drew an assault rifle and started shooting at the officers," he said.
According to Mwanauli, the officers pursued the armed suspect, who attempted to take cover inside the temple premises.
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During the standoff, the suspect allegedly turned violent against a security guard stationed at the temple.
"They managed to corner him at the Patel Samaj Temple. While he was inside, he robbed one of the guards at gunpoint of his mobile phone and other belongings. He tied him on his arms to his back using a piece of cloth that he found at the door, and they continued engaging officers," he added.
Mwanauli said reinforcement teams were quickly dispatched to the scene, leading to a tense exchange before the suspect was subdued.
"We responded with our special teams, and we managed to smoke him out. When they removed him, he climbed to the top roof where he hid himself in a large water drum. Our officers managed to catch up with him, and then we were able to conduct a thorough search of the premises," he further said.
During the operation, police recovered an assault weapon believed to have been used in a series of robberies within Kisumu City.
'We managed to recover an AK-47 assault rifle. We also managed to recover five rounds of 7.62mm special and one spent cartridge," the deputy police boss stated.
Mwanauli revealed that the arrested suspect, identified as 21-year-old Kevin Oduor, is believed to have been involved in multiple criminal activities across the city.
"This gun has been used in several robberies within the city, and the suspect who is in custody is one Kevin Oduor, aged about 21. He is currently in custody at the Kisumu Central Police Station, being interrogated before he can be arraigned in court," he concluded.
Elsewhere, police in Kisumu East are detaining a quartet of suspects who made away with a security officer's gun in Bondo, Siaya County, on Sunday, October 19.
The General Service Unit (GSU) officer was providing security to Kakamega governor Fernandes Barasa at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) grounds when he lost the firearm, a Jericho pistol.
A week later, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced rounding up the suspects who took the pistol from the officer.
The detectives' discovery followed an operation enhanced by a tip-off from the members of the public.
The quartet who allegedly robbed the GSU officer of his gun has been identified as: Timothy Odhiambo, David Beckham Odhiambo, Tony Blair Omondi, and Harun Ibrahim.
According to the police, the suspects carried out the theft just at the tail end of Raila's final funeral service at the JOOUST grounds.
At the time, the victim officers and his colleagues were escorting Barasa through the university’s main gate when a crowd of unruly youths swarmed the governor’s convoy.
Amid the commotion, the officer’s Jericho pistol, loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition, was forcefully taken from its holster.
"When they were leaving the funeral ceremony of the late Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) at the main gate, while boarding the Governor’s official vehicle Reg. No. 37CG 086A, rowdy youth who had gathered around the Governor snatched his firearm, make Jericho, serial number 40309458, loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm from its holster and ran away from the scene,” a police report indicated.
