A night of frivolous enjoyment and merry-making took an unexpected turn after a drunken police officer opened fire in a nightclub, shooting his lover and another man dead.
The incident, which occurred during a night of merrymaking on Thursday, June 26, is said to have turned deadly when the officer discovered that his lover was in another relationship with another man in what turned out to be a suspected love triangle.
The officer, a constable, was armed with an AK-47 rifle and proceeded to open fire in the pub while drunk, prompting revellers to raise an alarm by calling police officers.
After realising what he had done, the officer attempted to flee via a motorcycle, but the Turbo Sub County Police Commander and Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers arrived on time, proceeding to arrest him.
Upon arresting him, the officers disarmed the cop and recovered the rifle, which had twenty rounds of ammunition.
According to a police report, the pub was reportedly owned by the officer’s lover, who was cohabiting with another man.
Further, the report detailed that the officer had been assigned the firearm for night duties but later used a motorbike to head to the pub where the incident occurred.
In the ensuing melee, another man was injured by a ricocheting bullet during the shooting and was later rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, police disclosed that the bodies of the deceased were taken to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary pending post-mortem examinations.
The arrested officer is currently in police custody as officers commence investigations into the circumstances that led to the shooting at the entertainment joint.
Cases of police officers opening fire on citizens and even their colleagues are not far and few between, with numerous incidents of such nature happening in various areas of the country.
Last year, revellers at the Imperial Lounge in Yatta, Machakos County, had to scamper for safety when a police officer fired 30 rounds of ammunition from an AK-47 rifle in the presence of his superiors after a romantic dispute in the wee hours of Friday, December 27.
In February this year, a police officer opened fire on his colleague, killing him instantly, following an altercation as the two were leaving a Nairobi club.
In March, a tragic shooting incident involving officers from Gigiri Police Station unfolded on the evening of Sunday, March 9, after a police officer allegedly opened fire on his colleagues, killing one and injuring another in the process.
