Police probe events around shooting of girlfriend by officer

Police carry the body of an officer attached to Molo police station who shot dead his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself on Tuesday night at Pangani Estate in Nakuru Town. PHOTO | AYUB MUIYURO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The constable, identified as Stephen Kimani Mungai, used an AK-47 rifle to shoot his lover, Susan Njeri Kinuthia, 25, at their residential house on Kanu Street in Nakuru town.

  • Police, however, suspect it was a case of love gone sour.

  • Neighbours said the two quarrelled before the enraged officer shot his lover – a mother of one – killing her on the spot before turning the gun on himself.

Detectives are trying to piece together the events that led to the Tuesday night incident in Nakuru County where a policeman shot and killed his girlfriend before turning the weapon on himself.

The constable, identified as Stephen Kimani Mungai, used an AK-47 rifle to shoot his lover, Susan Njeri Kinuthia, 25, at their residential house on Kanu Street in Nakuru town.

Nakuru police boss Joshua Omukata and his deputy Daniel Kitavi said detectives were following crucial leads in their investigations.

Police, however, suspect it was a case of love gone sour.

“Detectives are trying to establish the real cause of the incident and how the officer, based at Molo police station, obtained the gun,” said Mr Omukata.

However, a police report seen by the Nation indicated that the officer had been issued with an AK-47 rifle with 20 rounds of ammunition and was on duty with others prior to the incident.

BALLISTIC EXPERTS

It is not clear how the policeman managed to sneak with the AK-47 rifle from the work station in Molo Sub-County to his residence in Nakuru town.

Mr Omukata said the gun will be taken to ballistics experts at the DCI headquarters for analysis as police investigate the incident.

The officer is said to have been angry with the woman with whom he had been cohabiting.

Neighbours said the two quarrelled before the enraged officer shot his lover – a mother of one – killing her on the spot before turning the gun on himself.

The neighbours also described the horror the three-year-old child encountered as he saw the events unfold.

DISTRESS CALL

It is the child who raised the alarm, causing neighbours to respond to the distress call.

The two were found lying in a pool of blood with gunshot wounds in their heads.

Ms Wilkister Muge, one of the neighbours, told the Nation that the two had stayed together at the rented apartment along Kanu Street for a month.

“They have lived in Page apartment for about one month. Today we heard a commotion in the house before we heard a loud bang. On checking, we saw the agitated officer holding a gun and scampered for safety as we knew he had shot someone,” said Ms Muge.

Their bodies were taken to a Nakuru county mortuary for postmortem.