Officer shot in Migori hotel gun drama fights for his life in ICU

A DCI officer who was shot by robbers in the Sunday gun drama at a Migori hotel is fighting for his life in the intensive care unit (ICU) of The Nairobi Hospital where he was flown on Wednesday for specialised treatment.

The detective was among officers who thwarted an attempted robbery at Alaxid Hotel where police shot dead three suspects.

According to Migori DCI boss Njeru Nyaga, the officer was shot in the right shoulder in a gun fight with the robbers after police ambushed the attackers at the hotel.

CRITICALLY INJURED

Mr Nyaga told the Nation that the officer was critically injured and is currently in the ICU.

“He was flown to Nairobi following the severe injuries he sustained in the shootout. His situation has deteriorated and he is currently in the ICU,” Mr Nyaga told Nation on Wednesday night.

The development came amid concerns by civil rights groups over extra-judicial killings, putting police officers out on the spot over the Sunday shootout.

Migori County Civil Society Organisations Forum (MCSOF) Secretary-General Titus Orwa called on police officers to work within the stipulated legal frameworks and tone down on their “trigger happy” tendencies.

“It is wrong to execute criminals in such an extra-judicial manner. If the suspects had surrendered, why then did the officers have to kill them in cold blood?” wondered Mr Orwa.

IPOA PROBE

MCSOF youth leader Rodgers Owenga called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate the runaway killings by police and restore order in law enforcement.

But Mr Nyaga absolved the police of the alleged excessive use of force, saying the robbers opened fire on the officers after they were ordered to surrender, prompting the fierce exchange that left three dead.

"Let those accusing the officers of extra-judicial killings to consider the fate of the detective who was critically injured in the gun drama. Our officers are also human and any threat to their lives while on duty should never be overlooked," Mr Nyaga told the Nation.

Witnesses had earlier claimed that one of the suspects was rounded up by detectives and ordered to lie flat on the ground before being shot at close range.

AMBUSH

The DCI (Directorate of Criminal Investigations) on Monday said on Twitter that the robbers found detectives waiting for them at the hotel which is located along the Migori-Rongo road after receiving intelligence on the planned robbery.

“They laid an ambush on the suspected robbers who were on motorcycles,” read the tweet.

Migori County Police boss Celestino Nyaga in a statement said that the robbers defied orders to surrender and instead opened fire on the officers who swung into action, killing three of the suspects.

One AK-47 rifle loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition, a torch and a rungu were items recovered from the suspects.

The weapons have since been taken to DCI headquarters for ballistic analysis.