Cop Guns Down 5 In Ntinda
Oct 14, 2002
He returned home, asked his wife whether she had eaten, cocked his rifle and deposited it on the table before walking out. A few moments later he returned, picked up the firearm and told her he was going on a mission. The next thing she heard was fierce g
By Steven Candia And Davis Weddi
He returned home, asked his wife whether she had eaten, cocked his rifle and deposited it on the table before walking out. A few moments later he returned, picked up the firearm and told her he was going on a mission. The next thing she heard was fierce gunfire.
It was around 11:00pm that residents of Ntinda Road Police barracks realised that what seemed to be an invasion of the barracks was the callous murder of three Police officers and two civilians drinking in an illegal pub owned by PC Musabika, on Sunday night.
Recounting the incident, a resident said, “He was not in a hurry. He positioned himself at the entrance and released one bullet at a time (with pinpoint marksmanship) till he was done. It was not rapid fire.â€
PC Mponde and PC Kiriga died on the spot. Residents wept when they learnt that Mrs. Mponde was also hit and died on the way to hospital together with PC Opio of the Marines Unit. Other patrons included Mr. Odur who breathed his last in Mulago mourning yesterday.
He is a brother to PC Odur who is hanging onto dear life in the Intensive Care Unit.
“Mponde’s head was shattered, while PC Odur was shot in the stomach,†Jinja Road Divisional Police commander Pius Mutabazi told The New Vision.
The assailant, identified as PC Odong, abandoned his gun under a mango tree and fled.
But he turned up in the morning on a hired boda-boda motorcycle and handed himself over to the Mobile Police Patrol Unit.
“He was smiling and occasionally laughed, saying death is normal and happens,†said a scared Police officer.
He said the unit’s chief, Benjamin Namanya, stopped enraged residents from lynching Odong.
PC Goddi stabbed a policeman, Kamukama, in the neck in the same pub last year and the owner Musabika was shot in the hand early this year.
Musabika is now under arrest and is likely to face disciplinary action from the Police court.
The killer’s motive is still unclear but Kampala Police chief Ahmed Wafuba said Odong suspected Musabika to be having an affair with his wife.
However, Wafuba believes it is a cover-up. Odong has been harbouring a grudge for a long time against PC Odur, sources said.
Odong is now at Jinja Road Police Station and is due to be charged with murder.
Police chief Katumba Wamala, yesterday described the incidence as a terrible loss.
He said it was the major reason why he clamped down on alcoholism in the Police Force.
The pub was one of those closed down a few months ago on Katumba’s orders but Musabika re-opened it recently.
Wailing filled the air as sympathisers, relatives and neighbours gathered at Mponde’s home, unipot K-11, where they took turns to comfort his nine-year-old daughter.
By yesterday afternoon, blood still covered the floor of the pub. Broken chairs and beer bottles littered the floor.
“Horrible,†a witness said.
Ends
He returned home, asked his wife whether she had eaten, cocked his rifle and deposited it on the table before walking out. A few moments later he returned, picked up the firearm and told her he was going on a mission. The next thing she heard was fierce gunfire.
It was around 11:00pm that residents of Ntinda Road Police barracks realised that what seemed to be an invasion of the barracks was the callous murder of three Police officers and two civilians drinking in an illegal pub owned by PC Musabika, on Sunday night.
Recounting the incident, a resident said, “He was not in a hurry. He positioned himself at the entrance and released one bullet at a time (with pinpoint marksmanship) till he was done. It was not rapid fire.â€
PC Mponde and PC Kiriga died on the spot. Residents wept when they learnt that Mrs. Mponde was also hit and died on the way to hospital together with PC Opio of the Marines Unit. Other patrons included Mr. Odur who breathed his last in Mulago mourning yesterday.
He is a brother to PC Odur who is hanging onto dear life in the Intensive Care Unit.
“Mponde’s head was shattered, while PC Odur was shot in the stomach,†Jinja Road Divisional Police commander Pius Mutabazi told The New Vision.
The assailant, identified as PC Odong, abandoned his gun under a mango tree and fled.
But he turned up in the morning on a hired boda-boda motorcycle and handed himself over to the Mobile Police Patrol Unit.
“He was smiling and occasionally laughed, saying death is normal and happens,†said a scared Police officer.
He said the unit’s chief, Benjamin Namanya, stopped enraged residents from lynching Odong.
PC Goddi stabbed a policeman, Kamukama, in the neck in the same pub last year and the owner Musabika was shot in the hand early this year.
Musabika is now under arrest and is likely to face disciplinary action from the Police court.
The killer’s motive is still unclear but Kampala Police chief Ahmed Wafuba said Odong suspected Musabika to be having an affair with his wife.
However, Wafuba believes it is a cover-up. Odong has been harbouring a grudge for a long time against PC Odur, sources said.
Odong is now at Jinja Road Police Station and is due to be charged with murder.
Police chief Katumba Wamala, yesterday described the incidence as a terrible loss.
He said it was the major reason why he clamped down on alcoholism in the Police Force.
The pub was one of those closed down a few months ago on Katumba’s orders but Musabika re-opened it recently.
Wailing filled the air as sympathisers, relatives and neighbours gathered at Mponde’s home, unipot K-11, where they took turns to comfort his nine-year-old daughter.
By yesterday afternoon, blood still covered the floor of the pub. Broken chairs and beer bottles littered the floor.
“Horrible,†a witness said.
Ends