A 17-year-old boy was yesternight, Thursday, September 9, 2021, injured by a stray bullet fired by an officer from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The incident occurred in Nairobi's Huruma Estate during a drug raid conducted by law enforcement officers.
The boy, Haila Asanake, was wounded in the chest and pronounced dead on arrival at a Jumuia Hospital.
According to family members, the teenager was on their family home's balcony when he was hit by the bullet.
Police revealed that a scuffle ensued when DCI detectives attached to the Pangani Police Station stopped a suspicious vehicle. The driver of the vehicle attempted to get physical with the officers.
Members of the public then joined on the incident and began to pelt the officers with stones, resulting in a scuffle between the sleuths and residents.
A police report was filed at the Huruma Police Station under the OB Number 70/09/09/2021 indicating that the officers were forced to shoot in the air to scatter the crowd.
His family stated that Asanake was a good boy, and made a living from making pots.
The deceased's body is currently at Jumuia Hospital where it is expected to undergo a postmortem.
The Independent Policing Oversight Committee (IPOA) has since dispatched a rapid response team to Huruma Estate to investigate the incident.
“They are to obtain all relevant information including from police officers that may be relevant in unveiling the circumstances surrounding the demise of Asanake,” IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori stated.
She assured that the agency will be thorough with the probe and ensure that justice is served to all parties.
“Preliminary findings show that the youngster was felled by a bullet discharged during an operation that police were conducting in the vicinity,” she said.
