Man shot dead in Police rescue of his kidnapped son

The Police is investigating a Uganda Peoples Defense Forces soldier who gunned down a welder, Suleiman Male, during a rescue mission of a kidnapped five-year-old boy in Kyebando-Kisalosalo, Kampala.

Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the death of Male, 28, after he held his, Isamu Male hostage.

"He (the deceased) went on to swing the weapon (machete) which put the life of the child in danger prompting one of the security personnel to shoot him and he dropped the child," Owoyesigyire said.

Investigations

On Saturday, Kira Road Police Station officers rescued the child after his father threatened to cut him up using a machete over unknown reasons.

During the rescue, the officer discharged a bullet to disable the father Male, who died on the spot. The incident happened on Saturday at about 11:00 am in the city suburb of  Kyebando.

Preliminary Police findings indicate that Male, a craftsman, and a resident of Kisaasi, picked Male his only child from their home in Kisalosalo-Kyebando.

While in Kyebando, he forcefully gained access to the house of a friend, Ismail Ssesanga, while wielding a machete.

"All occupants in Ssesanga's house fled to the nearby Police station, where they reported the case. A team was dispatched," Owoyesigyire said.

"The security officers found when Male had locked himself in one of the rooms and all peaceful efforts to demand him open the door and release the child failed. The officers forcefully gained access into the room he had locked himself in," he added.

"It is alleged that the deceased who was found holding the child head down with one hand and another hand raised up with a machete ready to cut. The officers asked him to drop the machete but he did not," Owoyesigyire added.

The suspect died at the scene and later the Police took his body to Mulago Hospital for a postmortem while Male remained under Police care pending investigations.

Owoyesigyire said the Police has opened investigations into the shooting and the intentions of the deceased. By press time, the Police had recorded statements from eyewitnesses and relatives.

Report

The Police annual crime report indicates that 4.9% of the cases reported in 2019 were a result of child-related offences (10,596 cases) where minors were direct targets/victims of crime, compared to 11,589 cases reported in 2018.