Four killed by police in Kirinyaga shootout
What you need to know:
- Two rifles, 50 rounds of ammunition recovered after fierce gun battle.
Four suspected gangsters were killed in a shoot-out with police in Kirinyaga on Saturday.
Kirinyaga Deputy Police Commander Charles Ontita and area criminal investigations boss Boaz Obeto said local police and Karatina flying squad officers gunned down the suspects in a fierce gun battle at Mutithi after a dramatic two-hour chase.
Officers found two AK47 rifles and 50 rounds of ammunition as well as a Toyota saloon car believed to have been stolen.
Police in two cars trailed the gangsters on the Karatina-Sagana road. They accuse the suspects of being involved in a series of violent robberies in Karatina.
On arrival in Kirinyaga, the gangsters noticed that they were being followed and sped off with the officers in hot pursuit.
The officers caught up with the them at Mutithi and a shoot-out ensued. The suspects were overpowered and started fleeing in different directions but were felled in a hail of bullets.
Business at the busy market came to a stand still as shaken traders hurriedly closed their shops as gunfire rent the air.
A trader, Kamau Ndirangu, recalled how he fled in panic.
“I was attending to my customers when suddenly I heard gunshots. Shocked, I abandoned what I was doing and ran away. My customers too scampered for safety,” he said.
