An innocent woman was accidentally shot and killed by police while chasing after a notorious robber who was fleeing on foot in Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD).
The incident happened on Wednesday evening, February 11, between Landis Road and Racecourse in Nairobi. Police opened fire at the thug after he declined to surrender himself.
Reports allege that the thug had robbed a resident of his phone and other commodities. Eyewitnesses detailed how the saga unfolded but it was unclear if the thief was armed to necessitate the hard response by police.
They said that the deceased, identified as Jackie, died on the spot after she was hit by a stray bullet.
“There was a thief who was running away when the police shot. Jackie was hit by a stray bullet and that is how she met her untimely death.
“Jackie passed away after she was caught up in the scuffle. She was hit by a stray bullet fired by one of the police officers,” an eye witness narrated.
It was not ascertained whether police stopped to look into the case or whether an investigation will be launched later on. Police did not also disclose whether they managed to arrest the suspect.
The incident has yet again raised questions on the training of security forces on the handling of firearms in crowded places.
Last year in March 2020, a case of a 13-year old boy caused an uproar among the public after a police officer shot him on a third-floor balcony in Kiamaiko estate in Nairobi.
Yasin Hussein Moyo was standing at the balcony while police were enforcing curfew regulations when one of the police bullets struck him in the stomach. He was then rushed to Mama Lucy Hospital where he succumbed to the gunshot wound.
Nairobi County Commander Phillip Ndolo stated that the shot was accidental while officers were engaging a gang that had violated curfew restrictions.
A survey by Amnesty International indicated that since 2007, more than 740 Kenyans had been killed by police. Data from the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) showed that already, 13 people had died and 31 seriously injured due to the use of excessive force by the police in the year 2021.
