Two police officers on patrol hacked to death

Villagers hacked two Administration Police officers to death following the alarm that they were cattle thieves.

The officers were on patrol at Matindi Village in Lukose Sub-Location on Tuesday night when a group of residents confronted them and raised the alarm.

The patrol leader, a sergeant, was slashed to death around 9pm as he tried to calm down the villagers and identify himself.

The other officer, a constable, fired in the air to try and scare away the mob. However, the crowd overpowered him and slashed him.

He died while receiving treatment at St Elizabeth Mission Hospital, Mukumu.

A third policeman escaped unharmed after he fired several times in the air.

A gun that one of the dead officers was using was recovered and handed over to police.

FALSE ALARM
On Wednesday, the village was tense as police searched for suspects linked to the killings. The residents fled their homes in fear of arrest.

County Administration Police Commander Rashid Abdullahi said three suspects, including a village elder, had been arrested and a machete that had been used in the attack was recovered.

The police boss condemned the attack and accused the villagers of raising a false alarm that led to the killings.

“Our officers were going about their normal duties when a group of villagers raised a false alarm claiming the village was under attack,” Mr Abdullahi said.

The officers were in police uniform and identified themselves before they were killed, according to the AP boss.

He said some of the villagers may have been drunk and deliberately targeted the policemen.

Mr Eugene Okanda, the chief of the Location where the attack occurred, said he was alerted and he made efforts to contact the sergeant, only to learn that he had been killed.