Kampala guard kills Standard Chartered bank staff
Jan 05, 2009
A Private security guard deployed at a Kampala bank yesterday shot dead a cleaner and critically injured his colleague before shooting himself.
By Steven Candia
A Private security guard deployed at a Kampala bank yesterday shot dead a cleaner and critically injured his colleague before shooting himself.
The morning incident occurred at the Garden City branch of Standard Chartered (Stanchart) Bank. Tobby Omara, attached to Security Group, shot dead Juliet Birungi, a mother of three and left his colleague, Joel Ssebabi, admitted to Mulago Hospital with gunshot wounds.
The Police said it was a crime of passion not an attempted robbery as earlier suspected. The Police discovered a suicide note on the body of the killer guard, indicating that the woman had an affair with him but had decided to go back to her husband who had just been released from prison.
The Police had earlier said five other suspects had been detained at Jinja Road Police Station in connection with the incident.
Herman Kasekende, the bank’s head of consumer banking said none of its staff was involved or hurt in the incident.
“This was a localised incident and had nothing to do with a robbery. None of our staff was involved and all of them have been accounted for,†Kasekende said.
The incident occurred at about 9:15am in the banking hall. The branch opens till late throughout the week.
The banking staff was settling in for the usual commencement of business at 10:00am.
By the time The New Vision reached the scene, there was a pool of clotting blood about a metre from the counter.
Earlier accounts from witnesses, including a Security 2000 officer, Anthony Okidi, said the guard held the bank manager at gunpoint, an account the bank dismissed as untrue.
Okidi, who said he was among the first to arrive at the scene after the first shot went off, said Omara had placed the manager at gunpoint, which prompted Ssebabi to intervene.
“It is then that he shot Ssebabi and then turned and shot the cleaner before shooting himself dead,†Okidi said.
However, Kasekende dismissed Okidi’s account. “He just walked up to Birungi who was cleaning the place and shot her dead for reasons that we don’t know. He then came out, shot his colleague, walked back and then shot himself,†Kasekende said, repeating that it had nothing to do with a robbery as all restricted areas were still inaccessible.
Speaking from Mulago Hospital, Ssebabi said he went into the banking hall after hearing a gun shot.
“I was outside taking tea. When I heard a gun shot from inside, I entered the banking hall and he shot me twice. He then grabbed my gun which he used to shoot Birungi and then himself,†Ssebabi said, adding that the two (Omara and Birungi) had an affair.
A Police detective confirmed that they were investigating reports that the deceased had an affair which had gone bad about two days before.
A security officer, who preferred anonymity, said prior to the shooting, Birungi had screamed from the banking hall.
The morning incident brought business at the usually busy Garden City complex to a standstill as armed Police personnel sealed off the scene.
A Private security guard deployed at a Kampala bank yesterday shot dead a cleaner and critically injured his colleague before shooting himself.
The morning incident occurred at the Garden City branch of Standard Chartered (Stanchart) Bank. Tobby Omara, attached to Security Group, shot dead Juliet Birungi, a mother of three and left his colleague, Joel Ssebabi, admitted to Mulago Hospital with gunshot wounds.
The Police said it was a crime of passion not an attempted robbery as earlier suspected. The Police discovered a suicide note on the body of the killer guard, indicating that the woman had an affair with him but had decided to go back to her husband who had just been released from prison.
The Police had earlier said five other suspects had been detained at Jinja Road Police Station in connection with the incident.
Herman Kasekende, the bank’s head of consumer banking said none of its staff was involved or hurt in the incident.
“This was a localised incident and had nothing to do with a robbery. None of our staff was involved and all of them have been accounted for,†Kasekende said.
The incident occurred at about 9:15am in the banking hall. The branch opens till late throughout the week.
The banking staff was settling in for the usual commencement of business at 10:00am.
By the time The New Vision reached the scene, there was a pool of clotting blood about a metre from the counter.
Earlier accounts from witnesses, including a Security 2000 officer, Anthony Okidi, said the guard held the bank manager at gunpoint, an account the bank dismissed as untrue.
Okidi, who said he was among the first to arrive at the scene after the first shot went off, said Omara had placed the manager at gunpoint, which prompted Ssebabi to intervene.
“It is then that he shot Ssebabi and then turned and shot the cleaner before shooting himself dead,†Okidi said.
However, Kasekende dismissed Okidi’s account. “He just walked up to Birungi who was cleaning the place and shot her dead for reasons that we don’t know. He then came out, shot his colleague, walked back and then shot himself,†Kasekende said, repeating that it had nothing to do with a robbery as all restricted areas were still inaccessible.
Speaking from Mulago Hospital, Ssebabi said he went into the banking hall after hearing a gun shot.
“I was outside taking tea. When I heard a gun shot from inside, I entered the banking hall and he shot me twice. He then grabbed my gun which he used to shoot Birungi and then himself,†Ssebabi said, adding that the two (Omara and Birungi) had an affair.
A Police detective confirmed that they were investigating reports that the deceased had an affair which had gone bad about two days before.
A security officer, who preferred anonymity, said prior to the shooting, Birungi had screamed from the banking hall.
The morning incident brought business at the usually busy Garden City complex to a standstill as armed Police personnel sealed off the scene.