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The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Tuesday, December 6, announced that a police officer linked to the shooting of a Machakos University student was arrested, awaiting further investigations.
According to the investigative unit, the suspect was accused of critically injuring a student during the demonstrations staged on Monday, December 5, against surging cases of insecurity in the area.
The victim had joined his colleagues in the demonstrations as they agitated for justice for their colleague who was killed in a robbery attack.
Demonstrations lasted for the better part of Monday, December 5, paralysing businesses in the region. This prompted a response from the police in an attempt to arrest the situation.
An undated photo of a police car in Kenya.
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Upon his arrest, DCI operatives initiated a probe into the firearms assigned to police officers involved in quelling the demonstrations in an attempt to arrive at the culprit.
“A total of 9 firearms including 5 pistols, 3 G-3riffles and one AK-47 assault rifle have also been seized from different police officers and they will be subjected to forensic ballistic analysis at the DCI National Forensic Laboratory, to scientifically ascertain which firearms were misused when quelling the riotous students,” a statement from the DCI read in part.
The shooting had threatened to fuel anger among students from the institutions who accused the police of using excessive authority in their mission.
According to the statement, the victim was fighting for his life at the Machakos Level 5 Hospital owing to the injuries sustained in the picketing.
Further, the DCI announced the arrest of a police officer linked to a robbery incident targeting students following a tip-off from members of the public.
The officer in plainclothes had, together with an accomplice, attacked two students as they headed to their rented hostels in the wee hours of Monday, December 5, in the morning.
One of the students managed to escape to safety and alerted his classmates, culminating in the officer’s arrest.
According to DCI, police officers in the region had embarked on an operation to neutralise the security threats facing students of the institution.
The National Police Service called for peace and calm from the students and promised to expedite investigations into the shooting. This came amid the rising cases of insecurity in Nairobi and other satellite urban centres.
Entrance to Machakos University.
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