A 17-year-old boy was shot dead in the early hours of Wednesday by a private security guard in Kochgoma Town Council, Nwoya District, with the suspect fleeing and abandoning his firearm and uniform. The deceased, identified as Daniel Okello, was reportedly shot in the chest at around 1:00 a.m. in Ocega Ward, Bungamon Cell.
Residents allege that the fatal shot was fired by a guard attached to Samurai Security Protective Services, who had been deployed to guard Gasco Petrol Station. The guard and a colleague allegedly fled the scene immediately after the shooting and remain at large.
Patrick Ocan Abiriga, the deceased’s uncle, told Uganda Radio Network that Okello had been watching a movie at a local video hall shortly before the incident. According to Ocan, Okello and several other youths fled the video hall after noticing a police patrol vehicle approaching during a night operation.
“We learnt that Okello and others ran from the movie centre after hearing a police patrol vehicle approaching. As he ran, he reportedly encountered the security guard, who shot him,” Ocan said. Ocan further alleged that the guard was outside his designated duty station and was instead guarding a nearby business dealing in mairungi (khat) when he opened fire.
He said the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear, noting that Okello’s body was found shirtless outside a bar early Wednesday morning. He appealed to police to carry out thorough investigations and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
Fadhil Abola, a resident of Kochgoma Town Council and former LC V councillor, said two firearms, security uniforms and a spent cartridge were recovered near the crime scene. “We found two guns and security uniforms near the scene, which we believe were abandoned by the guards who had been guarding Gasco Petrol Station. We suspect they fled after the fatal shooting of Okello,” Abola said.
Nwoya Resident District Commissioner Christopher Omara confirmed that investigations had commenced. He said the suspect who allegedly fired the fatal shot abandoned his firearm and uniform at the scene before fleeing. Detectives from Kochgoma Police Station responded to the scene and recovered Okello’s body together with the abandoned firearms.
The body was taken to Anaka General Hospital mortuary for a postmortem examination. By the time of publishing this story, police in Nwoya District had not yet issued an official statement on the incident or confirmed the identities of the suspects. Police investigations into the shooting are ongoing-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
