Lamu police shoot and kill ex-convict who resisted arrest
Indian Ocean waters in Lamu county. An ex-convict who had committed robbery was shot dead after he jumped into the ocean in a bid to avoid arrest.
What you need to know:
- Police said the ex-convict was shot dead after he confronted them with a knife and a toy pistol.
- The slain man was reported to have committed a robbery at Gadeni Estate within Lamu Island and escaped with an unknown amount of money.
Police in Lamu shot and killed an ex-convict who tried to confront them with a knife and a toy pistol.
Fadhil Muhidin alias Fadhil Ngoma, 25, who was recently released from jail, was reported to have committed a robbery at Gadeni Estate within Lamu Island and escaped with an unknown amount of money belonging to a shopkeeper identified as Daniel Mwangi.
A police report seen by the Nation indicated that police arrived at the scene of crime at Gadeni but the suspect drew a knife and threatened to stab the officers.
"He ran to the seafront in Lamu and jumped into the Indian Ocean waters. He managed to swim for a distance of about one kilometre. The officers, using a motorboat, gave chase and a frantic search ensued for over one hour when he was cornered," the police report reads.
"He tried to attack one of the officers with a knife but the officer shot him. The knife and an object in his shirt, which looked like a pistol, were recovered from him. The object was later discovered to be a toy pistol,'' the police said.
Confrontation with police
Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia confirmed the incident.
"I can confirm that a jailbird has been gunned down after confronting police with a knife and a toy pistol. The body has been taken to Lamu King Fahd County Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem," said Mr Macharia.
This is the latest incident of a suspect being shot dead in a confrontation with security agencies in Lamu.
In August this year, police in Kwasasi Village in Lamu West shot and killed the owner of an homestead where two suspects believed to have attacked police officers in Siyu Village were hiding.
Bunu Sabaki Shee, 30, was killed after he refused to surrender to police. Two other suspects escaped during the incident but were later arrested.
The same week, police gunned down a machete-wielding gangster who had attacked and injured police officers in Siyu.
