Police in hot pursuit of gang that killed an officer

Police on Tuesday evening gunned down four suspected gangsters in Mlango Kubwa in Mathare and recovered a Glock Pistol loaded with four rounds of ammunition.

The police officers drawn from the General Service Unit, Special Crimes Prevention Unit and the Flying Squad have been conducting a crackdown in Mathare since Tuesday noon, in pursuit of a gang which allegedly shot and killed an Administration (AP) officer on Sunday.

Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome said one suspect escaped and is being pursued. Mr Koome said the gang had been staying in a hideout at the slum after they realised police were after them.

“We tracked them down with the help of the public and managed to locate them. When they realised that they were being pursued, they started shooting at the officers from inside the house they were in,” Mr Koome said.

He said the officers also managed to recover stolen items from the gang after a shootout that lasted more than three hours.

The bodies of the four suspects have been moved to the City Mortuary.

Police have asked the public to assist them trace the suspect that escaped, warning that that the gangster is armed.

Mr Koome said the suspects were behind the shooting of the AP officer attached to the Eastleigh Chief’s Camp on Sunday.

The officer was shot inside a Matatu by six suspects who had carjacked the vehicle as he headed home after work at the camp at night.

The suspects boarded the Matatu at the Kariokor market and after the vehicle reached St Teresa’s Church in Eastleigh, they stole personal properties from the passengers.

One of the carjackers realised one of the passengers was dressed in uniform under his civilian jacket and he alerted his armed accomplice. 

The armed gangster then shot the unarmed officer three times before escaping on foot. The slain officer has been identified as Mr Ahmed Hussein.

After they left the matatu driver drove the vehicle to the MSF Clinic to seek medical attention for Mr Hussein, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Mr Koome said that the pistol that was recovered from the slain suspect on Tuesday will be taken for ballistic examinations to establish the history of its use for criminal activities.

By the time of going to press, the crackdown on suspects in Mathare was still ongoing, with Mr Koome saying that the police were determined to smoke out all armed criminals in the slum.

(Edited by Joel Muinde)