Police officer on the run after shooting dead a civilian
Police in Buhweju District western Uganda are hunting for one of their officers for shooting dead a civilian.
The Greater Bushenyi Region Police Spokesperson, Mr Marcial Tumusiime, said the incident happened on October 25 when the Officer in Charge (OC) of Burere Police station had gone to arrest a suspect in Rwajere village, Rwajere Parish, Burere Sub County in Buhweju District.
The suspect identified as No 44120 CPL Gracious Taremwa failed to arrest the accused person, Mr Mayas Katureebe when he reached his home.
"It is alleged that on Wednesday , Cpl Taremwa, OC of Burere Police station in Buhweju District together with Police Constable (PC) Derick Mwendya went to effect arrest of a suspect Mayas Katurebe who was accused of obtaining money by false pretense,” Mr Tumusiime said.
According to Mr Tumusiime, the two police officers were in the company of the Chairman Rwajere village in Rwajere Parish, Mr Moses Kiwanuka but when they reached the home of the suspect, he closed himself in the house.
“They knocked on the door of the suspect but he refused to open and the Chairman LCI, forcefully opened the door. The suspect jumped with a blanket which he used to cover the face of the OC and immediately they started wrestling,” he said.
The suspect managed to escape from police running to the trading center where he was captured by PC Mwendya but resisted the arrest by wrestling down the police officer.
“The OC Mr Taremwa used the butt of a gun to disable the suspect but in the process a bullet was released and hit one of the onlookers who was around with other locals watching how a civilian was fighting a police officer,” Mr Moses Kiwanuka, 42, Chairman Rwajere Central Village said on October 26.
He said after the incident Mr Taremwa walked to Burere Police station where he dropped the gun and went into hiding.
“We recovered an SMG rifle UGPOL 56583257341982 with 28 rounds of ammunition and one cartridge. The body of the deceased, Bitahwa Osbert, 23, a resident of Rwajere Central in Rwajere Parish was taken to Nsiika Health CenterIV for postmortem” Mr Tumusiime said.
