The Police have arrested five of their own members following a shooting in which a 17-year-old boy was killed at Mabanda village in Matugga, Wakiso District, on Saturday night.
Issa Ssemugwe, 17, died on the way to Mulago Hospital after he was allegedly shot by a police officer who was trying to quell a crowd that was allegedly blocking the arrest of their colleagues on robbery charges.
Police say they are holding a constable on charges related to the murder of Ssemugwe, while other four officers are in custody over disobeying lawful orders. Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman Ibin Ssenkumbi yesterday confirmed both the shooting of Ssemugwe and the arrest of the police officers.
“The officers are in our custody as investigations continue. If we find that there was deliberate shooting of the boy, we will prefer charges of murder against our officer,” Mr Ssenkumbi said.
The Matugga incident reportedly started when one Moses Musaazi reported to Matugga Police Post a robbery case at his home, claiming to know the suspects. The officer in-charge of the post assigned him five police officers to execute the arrest. But the residents allegedly blocked the officers from arresting the suspects, which is said to have resulted in a scuffle.
A resident told Daily Monitor that “In the scuffle, the officers shot a few bullets in air to disperse the crowd. One boy, who was metres away from where the scuffle was, was shot and injured. He was taken to hospital but died later.”
The news of the death infuriated the residents, who blocked the roads with logs and car tyres, prompting riot police to fire teargas and rubber bullets in an attempt to restore order.
Cases of police officers shooting unarmed civilians using live bullets in demonstrations and misunderstandings are on the increase. Two people were recently shot dead in Nebbi District allegedly by riot police dispersing demonstrators.
The Police are the top human rights violators in the country, recent Uganda Human Rights Commission report shows. At least 8 per cent (3,000) officers of the entire Police Force are under investigation over different crimes by the Police Professional Standards Unit.
