Police shoots protester dead in Butebo district

Butebo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | One person has died following injuries sustained after police officers in the Eastern district of Butebo shot and critically injured four people at Butebo health center.

The police deployed shot live bullets during an exchange between them and a rowdy mob mostly of boda boda riders. The protesters reportedly wanted to burn the police patrol car blaming it for causing an accident which claimed the life of their colleague.

A police patrol vehicle allegedly knocked a motorcyclist dead on Friday last week. On Monday, the boda boda riders and residents of Butebo district staged a protest which prompted police to intervene and use live bullets which hit five of the protesters, killing one of them. The deceased has been identified  as Andrew Onongo, a resident of Kanyumu.

Others injured and are still admitted at Mbale regional referral hospital include Stephen Okia, Charles Etu, and Seperia Mugala.

Clement Lebbo, the Bukedi North Police spokesperson confirmed the death of Onongo saying he succumbed to bullet injuries. According to Lebbo, the police patrol car Reg. No UP 07726 was on routine work when it accidentally knocked one of the residents at Kanyumu trading center at about 9pm last Friday.

Police said residents later regrouped and stormed the health facility armed with machetes, slings, bows and arrows and started attacking the officers who had taken the body to hospital. The officers fired several bullets in air but the irate members of the public reportedly persisted pelting them with stones.

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