4 Thugs Shot In City Chase

By Davis Weddi, Geresom Musamali and Geoffrey Kamali Gunfire yesterday rocked Kampala city at lunchtime, as police battled armed robbers in two daring robberies.Four thugs, a policeman and a food vendor were killed in the chase and exchange of gunfire that lasted over two hours. One person sustained chest and arm injuries. Police deputy spokesman John Kimera named the dead officer as PC Watsala number 27239.Identities of the food vendor could not be readily established. The dead robbers’ identities were also not disclosed by the Police. The Police recovered two rifles and two pistols from the robbers who were shot dead near Buganda Road Primary school.Eye witnesses around Nakasero Hill said Police officers and private security guards guarding various foreign mission and government offices, took cover at their posts as Patrol police chased the fleeing thugs amidst rocking gunfire.Kimera said the thugs attacked Planned Parts Centre on 6th Street in Industrial Area at 11:00am where they robbed a computer, a digital camera, a mobile phone and sh65,000. He said the robbers fled from the scene in a waiting white Toyota Corona registration number 721 UEE.Police later sighted them near Rwenzori Courts and the High Court. A chase ensued towards Buganda Road where the thugs crashed into a Toyota landcruiser. Police showered them with bullets. The landcruiser driver, Patrick Teko, sustained injuries in the chest and arm.The driver of the thugs had other bullet wounds sustained in an earlier shooting a few days back, police said.In the other robbery at around the same time, thugs intercepted a cashier of Hydery Forex Bureau and grabbed £12,500 (about sh32m) at Speke road-Luwum Street junction.David Kasule, 28, the cashier and William Kalibbala, 25, a driver of the same company were transferring the £12,500 from the bureau to Barclays Bank on Kampala Road when they were attacked.While fleeing from the scene in a white Toyota saloon, the thugs sprayed bullets indiscriminately, killing a food vendor. Stray bullets damaged several parked vehicles as passersby scampered for cover.There was confusion over the number of robberies reported in the city yesterday but Kimera said there was only one.But deputy regional Police commander, D Magara, said they could have been the same robbers who attacked a Hydery Forex Bureau vehicle and grabbed the £12,500. Some reports said all the money was recovered but Magara said they recovered only £1,000, from the thugs’ bullet-riddled car.Ends