The killers of the Bukwo District Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Charles Ogwang had no idea who he was and he almost survived the murder until they checked his wallet, the police has revealed.
Speaking at the weekly press briefing, Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said that on realising Ogwang was the man they were looking for, the strangers then riddled his body with bullets, 26 times.
Ogwang was shot along Bombo Road at about 11:30 pm and his car was torched, but he succumbed later to bullet wounds at Bombo Hospital.
According to Enanga, facts gathered by police indicate that on the fateful day, Ogwang travelled from Bukwo to Mbale together with his driver called Eric Chemsto,23 in motor vehicle registration number UG 0865Z and while in Mbale, he had plans of first travelling via Lira he later abandoned the plans and decided to start from Kampala.
Ogwang while in Kampala attended to a number of private businesses in the areas of Buziga, Kisasi, Bweyogerere and Kireka.
Police say they have since identified several people Ogwang met during the time he was in Kampala.
When the meetings were done, Ogwang granted his driver leave so that he can proceed alone. The driver was dropped off at a guest house in Kireka and Ogwang started a journey that would not have a return.
“Our cameras managed to capture his movement from around northern bypass up to Bwaise on Bombo Road. We have established that he was driving himself and was alone in the vehicle,” Enanga said.
“He reached Bwaise at about 9:23 pm then proceeded to Kawempe up to Kagoma where he spent about one and a half hours,” Enanga adds.
Ogwang was captured by police cameras at Kiryagonja at around 11:12 pm and later at 11:30 pm in Kiryowa when he was eventually attacked by the assailants.
At Kiryowa, unknown-but-armed people stopped him.
“When he parked the vehicle, he was approached from the passenger side and the group of strangers inquired where Mr Ogwang was. He told them he was the driver so they picked up his wallet and also removed his phone,” he said.
It is upon opening his wallet that they ascertained he was the person they had been waiting for. At this point, they moved farther away from the vehicle and sprayed him with bullets.
“This is the account we got from the medical staff at Bombo military hospital when the victim was fighting for his life. He managed to give that brief narrative to the staff at the hospital of how he was stopped at Kiryowa,” Enanga told the press.
Police said that they have so far got two clear accounts from two other victims who were riding on a tricycle number UFF 849F who were also around the vicinity driving towards Bombo.
The two told the police that when the bullets were fired, they abandoned their tricycle and fled for their lives however in their hiding, one of them had a smartphone and recorded how the attack happened.
“We do strongly believe that the attack was targeted. This killing was not random but premeditated, pre-planned and targeted,” said the police spokesperson.
Adding that “ At this stage, the motive of the fatal shooting has not yet been determined but we rule out robbery or any act of domestic terrorism,”
So far four suspects have been arrested including the driver and another suspect who was arrested in the bush by the response team which combed the area following the attack.
“ A grey jacket, gun butt, blood specimen and 26 cartridges were picked from the scene which means he was shot by 26 bullets,” said Enanga.
