By GASTONE VALUSI
Security officers in Matungulu Sub-County shot dead a suspected gangster and recovered an AK-47 rifle during a dramatic shootout at Masokani Shopping Centre along the Kenol-Koma Road on Friday evening.
One other suspect escaped on foot with gunshot wounds after abandoning a Toyota Harrier they were travelling in during the confrontation with police.
Addressing the media at the scene, Matungulu Sub-County Police Commander Peter Gichohi said the suspects were being pursued by security officers after detectives received actionable intelligence about their activities in the area.
Gichohi said officers ordered the suspects to surrender after intercepting them, but they allegedly refused to comply and instead opened fire at the police, prompting officers to return fire.
“Acting on actionable intelligence, police officers pursued notorious criminals operating in the area. When they reached this point, the suspects, who were driving a Toyota Harrier, were ordered to stop, but they resisted,” Gichohi said.
He said a fierce exchange of gunfire followed, leaving one of the suspects dead while his accomplice escaped on foot.
“A shootout broke out between officers and suspects, leaving one armed thug dead. The recovered AK-47 rifle was stolen from a police officer in Mavoko last year,” the police boss said.
Gichohi said preliminary investigations had established that the recovered firearm was the same AK-47 rifle reported stolen from a police officer in Mavoko Municipality in November last year.
The recovery has raised concerns over the wider network through which the firearm may have been obtained and used in criminal activities.
Police have since launched a manhunt for the suspect who escaped, with Gichohi appealing to members of the public and medical facilities to report anyone seeking treatment for suspected gunshot wounds.
“We appeal to the public and medical facilities to report anyone seeking treatment for bullet wounds. As police officers, we will not relent in the fight against criminals, as we need to isolate them from law-abiding citizens,” he said.
The police commander urged residents to remain vigilant and share information that could help detectives trace the escaped suspect and other members of the gang.
Besides the AK-47 rifle, detectives recovered several mobile phones and other crude weapons from the scene.
Gichohi said investigators were also examining the wider criminal network allegedly linked to the suspects as they sought to establish the source of the firearm and determine whether the recovered items had been used in other criminal activities.
The Toyota Harrier believed to have been used by the suspects was towed to KBC Police Station for further examination and forensic analysis.
The body of the slain suspect was taken to the Kangundo Hospital mortuary pending identification and post-mortem examination.
Police said investigations into the incident and the search for the escaped suspect were ongoing.
