Man lynched after shooting four people with pistol snatched from policeman

Police in Kisumu are investigating an incident where a man was lynched by a mob after he snatched a pistol from a traffic policeman and seriously injured four people.

The man, who had a face mask and wore gloves, is reported to have snatched a pistol from the officer who was manning Kisumu Boys Roundabout and shot him before turning the barrel on members of the public as he escaped towards the main bus station.

Among those injured in the indiscriminate shooting included two matatu crews who were rushed to Aga Khan Hospital.

After exhausting his bullets, the man threatened members of the public with the blank firearm but was overwhelmed by people who had surrounded him.

“The irate mob stoned him to death before the police arrived and took his body to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) mortuary,” said Tom Anyenda who witnessed the incident.

“He attempted to force his way into one of our rooms when he realised that he had no bullets but he was repulsed and thrown out of the building,” added Mr Anyenda who is a room attendant at the Safari Lodge.

Knew how to handle a firearm

Kisumu Town Chief Willis Onyona, however, said that they were in the process of identifying the victims and the suspect.

“From the looks of things, the suspect is a person who knew how to handle a firearm because he even had his gloves on to conceal his fingerprints,” he said.

“We are afraid that more people could have been injured as the suspect ran through the busy stage as he randomly fired shots.”