Recent shootings could have been prevented — Police

Concern has been expressed by the joint security agencies on the recent spate of shootings, which they say are indicative of a bigger societal issue.

The recent shootings were caused by small disputes that could have been avoided, according to police spokesperson Fred Enanga.

“Life is not valued the way it was before. For instance, the two shootings in Tororo (town) and Mbarara (city) were over petty conflicts that led to the death of two people,” he said.

Enanga referred to the incident in Tororo, where a 35-year-old Saracen guard, Moses Okedi, allegedly picked a gun, shot and killed a fellow guard over failing to surrender his SIM card and Saracen Staff SACCOS membership card.

Uganda Police spokesperson Fred Enanga addressing the media during the joint weekly security press briefing at Police headquarters Naguru on Monday May 22 , 2023/Photo by Mpalanyi Sentongo

Mbarara incident

Another incident saw L/CPL Yeremiah Turyamureba, an army officer assigned to the Ruhengyere Engineering Brigade in Kiruhura district, allegedly fatally shot by Mbarara-based police officer Charles Opio over a woman.

 “It was, therefore, a crime of passion,” Enanga said.

He added that the suspect developed a motive earlier in the day, on May 19, 2023, at about 3:00 pm, when he allegedly saw the victim befriending his girlfriend and taking selfies.

The suspect allegedly spotted the two still together after three hours, at six o'clock and shot the victim once in the chest, instantly killing a fellow officer.

“The suspect was arrested and the killer weapon recovered,” he noted.

UCU case

Dismas Tebangole, 57, a Counter Terrorism (CT) officer, also shot and wounded Natasha Nagayi, 21, a student at the Uganda Christian University (UCU), on May 20, 2023, at about 4:00am after mistaking her for a burglar.

It was established that the residence of her lover, Ashraf Bandish, for whom she was doing a background check, was situated immediately across that of the Police officer.

“It was an unfortunate incident, with hard lessons. We believe all parties in his incident could have done better. The victim is out of danger, after she got treatment, while the officer remains in custody, pending the outcome of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) legal guidance,” he added.

Enanga added that the three incidents were the result of rage and anger on the part of the Police officer in Mbarara and a security guard in Tororo municipality, while the third shooting was committed by a police officer in Mukono because of mistaken identity.

Enanga was speaking to journalists at the weekly joint security briefing at Police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala on Monday.

Enanga stated that preliminary results of the investigations indicate that the gunshots were not the result of organised crime, a random act, or an attack directed against the community.

“We are working with other security agencies and partners like private security organisations, to ensure we have the right policies, intelligence, detection and enforcement,” he said.

Enanga added that even though gun violence had significantly decreased because of intense enforcement and rigorous firearms control, a modest uptick in careless shootings over minor disputes/distastes indicates that people are becoming desperate.

He said other shootings frequently occur because of domestic violence, interpersonal conflicts or arguments, poverty, rage and anger, jealousy and other factors that all contribute to crime, such as rage and anger and mental health.

He said this calls for the concerted efforts of each and every one.

“Unlike, other countries where massive shootings into large crowds, while discharging massive amounts of ammunition, our country remains one of the safest places. Capabilities are in place to tackle gun crime and prevent criminals gaining illegal access to firearms. We do this while continuing to ensure the licensing of legally held firearms is robust as possible,” he added.