A police raid in Turbo Constituency, Rift Valley, turned disastrous after the operation left 2 people dead and others injured.
According to police reports, residents of the dusty village attacked the police officers after mistaking them for raiders who had come to attack their village.
The police had gone to arrest a suspect in his house accompanied by the complainant when one of the residents raised alarm - and invited the entire village who arrived armed with machete and other crude weapons.
Report indicated that the villagers stormed the suspect's house with an aim to rescue him from his perceived attackers.
The villagers allegedly attacked the complainant whom police identified as Andrew Indeche, who had brought the police, killing him.
Eldoret West Sub County Police Commander Edward Masibo who spoke to a local media house noted that Indeche had filed assault charges against the suspect who had fled the area.
Indeche rushed to alert the police officers of his whereabouts when he returned to the village.
"The victim had sustained grievous harm, according to the P3 form he had obtained. He accompanied two police officers who had gone to arrest the suspect.
"Upon arrival at the suspect's home, a relative alerted neighbours that they had been attacked by robbers, and that's when they descended on the victim, cutting him using pangas," Masibo noted.
The police commander confirmed that another person died during the melee.
He noted that the matter was being investigated and the police officers were looking for the perpetrators.
"We are still pursuing crucial leads to arrest the suspects who killed the victim and attacked police officers. A woman who alerted neighbours and described our officers as robbers has gone missing, and we are looking for her," Masibo said.
The various residents and officers who got injured during the melee have been discharged from the hospital.
