Murder charge for officers who killed AP

Two police officers who shot dead an Administration Police officer and his two relatives will be charged with murder, the Director of Public Prosecutions has said.

The fatal shooting that took place on October 7 last year in Dagoretti was investigated by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) who later recommended a murder charge.

Ipoa took over the investigations after police maintained that the deceased persons were robbers.

“Ipoa concluded investigations and recommended murder charges to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The DPP concurred with Ipoa’s recommendations that the police officers be arraigned in court on three counts of murder,” Ipoa Senior Corporate Communications Officer Dennis Oketch said on Monday.

BUYING AIRTIME

The officers shot dead AP Constable Joseph Obongo Makori, attached to Bomachoge MP Joel Onyancha, and his two relatives Geoffrey Mogoi and Amos Okenye.

Following the shooting, Ipoa launched investigations into the incident with a view to unravelling the circumstances leading to the fatal shooting, and particularly whether the officers were justified in their use of deadly force.

The shooting happened outside the M-Club and Bar, where they were buying airtime. Mr Makori was shot in the head after a barmaid alerted police when she noticed his police-issue Ceska pistol.

An AP officer who was in the bar at the time told the Nation that his colleague was shot despite identifying himself as an officer.

“The police officers ordered everyone to raise their hands and get out of the bar. Corporal Makori raised his hands and told them he was an AP and was from the airport after escorting Bomachoge MP Joel Onyancha, who was travelling to The Hague," the witness said.

Witnesses said that the officers searched the AP and when they found his Ceska pistol, one of them took it and shot him in the head with it. The other officer used his own gun to shoot Makori’s companions.