12-year-old girl shot dead by Police while enforcing curfew

Police in Butalejja have arrested one of their own officers for shooting dead a 12-year-old girl and injuring another person while enforcing curfew, one of the guidelines announced by government to stop the spread of Covid-19 in Uganda.

According to the Bukedi South regional police spokesperson, Moses Mugwe, the incident was reported by their own, Assistant Inspector of Police, George William Odongol, the officer in charge of Kachonga Police Post, and that the incident happened at around 7:40 pm on Saturday.

“This happened at around 7:40 pm when one Ester Nangula Ester, 12, a resident of Namuseru zone in Mazimasa sub-county, Butalejja district was shot dead whereas Rashid Walujjo Rashid, 21, a resident of scheme view zone in the same sub-county was shot and injured by No.52553 PC Anthony Ochaya a police officer attached to Kachonga police post while enforcing curfew,” Mugwe said.

The Bukedi South spokesperson said that whereas circumstances under which the shooting occurred are still scanty, preliminary investigations indicate that the incident happened at Nampologoma trading centre while police enforced curfew.

He noted that following the incident, a team of police officers led by the District Police Commander, Aggrey Twesigye and a team of homicide visited the scene before the body was taken to Mbale city mortuary for postmortem.

“The gun used in the murder has been recovered as an exhibit whereas the officer is in police custody as inquiries continue,” he said.

The development comes barely a month after a similar incident in which a boda boda rider was shot dead by a UPDF officer deployed to enforce the inter-district travel ban when he refused to stop at the checkpoint.

However, in the latest incident in Butalejja, investigators will be trying to find out the circumstances that forced the Police officer to fire live bullets into the public killing a 12-year-old girl instantly.

Whereas Police officers are armed, they are not allowed to fire bullets unless the situation warrants them to do so and in the latest incident, it is not clear what prompted the behavior of the officer.

The Police’s Chief Political Commissar, AIGP Asan Kasingye has in the past few months traversed various police regions as part of the force’s rectification campaign.

In the campaign, Kasingye has interacted with Police officers and listened to their concerns, especially challenges affecting the way they carry out their duties in a bid to address them.