Mother shot dead as she breast-feeds her baby girl
Mathare residents carry away the body of Peris Waithera, 24 who was shot dead by a stray bullet on July 15, 2013. Photo/DENISH OCHIENG
What you need to know:
- She was just in the house feeding her baby then all of a sudden, there was some shooting”
Woman’s brother Steve Njiru
A young mother was on Monday killed by a stray bullet during a confrontation between police and suspected drug peddlers in Mathare slums.
The death of the woman, who was breast-feeding her six-month-old child when she was hit by the bullet, sparked running battles as police tried to calm down angry residents.
Ms Peris Waithera, 24, was in her house at Mathare Village 2 when the bullet tore through the wall of her iron-sheet shack and hit her at around 9am. Her six-month old child escaped death narrowly.
“She was just in the house feeding her baby then all of a sudden, there was some shooting outside. I only remember hearing her screaming for help,” her brother Steve Njiru said.
Initially, the officers tried to take the body away but were blocked by the residents who wanted it to stay until thorough investigations were conducted.
However, the police forced their way, lobbed teargas and shot in the air to scare away the crowd that was ballooning.
They then took the body as scared residents run for safety at around 1pm.
Starehe OCPD Samuel Kanampiu defended his officers, saying, they resorted to using live ammunition when suspected drug peddlers in the area started attacking them.
