Police defend killing suspect
Aug 23, 2006
THE Police on Monday defended the shooting of Mansensio Edema, alias Mustafa Lees, the prime suspect in the July Kabalagala grenade blast that claimed a life and left eight others injured,
THE Police on Monday defended the shooting of Mansensio Edema, alias Mustafa Lees, the prime suspect in the July Kabalagala grenade blast that claimed a life and left eight others injured, writes Steven Candia.
In a statement, Police spokesman Edward Ochom regretted the death of the suspect but defended the action, saying it was an attempt to foil an escape bid by the suspect.
“The officers escorting the prisoner acted correctly in shooting the suspect the moment he ran off in an attempt to escape from lawful custody,†Ochom said.
As per section 28 of the Police Act, he said, the officers were justified to use firearms to prevent the escape.
The shooting to death of Edema has raised controversy, with the relatives accusing the Police of summarily executing the suspect, who they claim was not arrested by the Police but had turned himself in.
Ochom said contrary to press reports, a postmortem was carried out on August 11 and the body claimed by relatives the following day.
Nine people were seriously injured when the explosive detonated at City River Bar in Kabalagala on July 31. One victim, Abdu Kavuma, 31, later succumbed to death in a city hospital.
The Police statement detailed Edema’s criminal record, saying before the suspect adopted the name Mustafa Lees, he was known as Leish Edema Masensio, a.k.a Kampala.
On May 19, Edema attempted to blow up a beer depot in Tororo. He was at the time a member of the Uganda Salvation Army rebel group of former Arua Constitution Assembly Delegate Zubairi Atamvaku.
In a statement, Police spokesman Edward Ochom regretted the death of the suspect but defended the action, saying it was an attempt to foil an escape bid by the suspect.
“The officers escorting the prisoner acted correctly in shooting the suspect the moment he ran off in an attempt to escape from lawful custody,†Ochom said.
As per section 28 of the Police Act, he said, the officers were justified to use firearms to prevent the escape.
The shooting to death of Edema has raised controversy, with the relatives accusing the Police of summarily executing the suspect, who they claim was not arrested by the Police but had turned himself in.
Ochom said contrary to press reports, a postmortem was carried out on August 11 and the body claimed by relatives the following day.
Nine people were seriously injured when the explosive detonated at City River Bar in Kabalagala on July 31. One victim, Abdu Kavuma, 31, later succumbed to death in a city hospital.
The Police statement detailed Edema’s criminal record, saying before the suspect adopted the name Mustafa Lees, he was known as Leish Edema Masensio, a.k.a Kampala.
On May 19, Edema attempted to blow up a beer depot in Tororo. He was at the time a member of the Uganda Salvation Army rebel group of former Arua Constitution Assembly Delegate Zubairi Atamvaku.