THE top managers and residents of Njeru Municipality in Buikwe district are still lost at words following a tragic incident which ended the life of a police personnel identified as Richard Mugobera, 45 attached to the Field Force Unit (FFU) Bujagali Detach.
Reports say Mugobera with Force Number 64776 was shot by a colleague Corporal Selestine Okot, 50, who was also attached to Bujagali FFU Detach Wakisi Division in Njeru Municipality.
It’s reported that the incident happened at the Asian owned Yogi Steel Factory, situated along Njeru-Kayunga road where the now deceased Mugobera, together with PC Geoffrey Okello (Force Number 70717, and PC Denis Wamon (Force Number 71531) were deployed to provide security.
The two Cpl Okoth and Jasper Okello reportedly picked a quarrel and the deceased approached the colleague to calm down unfortunately a one Okoth (also police personnel) who had placed his gun on the table who wanted to shoot the security guard accidentally shot at Mugobera wounding him in the left thigh.
The wounded (Mugobera) was rushed to the Jinja Regional Referral Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival, meaning he succumbed to the bullet wound.
Sources say that upon arrival at the main gate before the incident, they found when a security guard of Priority One identified as Jasper Okello who was on duty during the day had arrested a worker for allegedly stealing gauze wire from the factory.
The two picked a quarrel, and the deceased came in to talk to the colleague to stop quarrelling.
That one Okoth who had placed his gun on the table moved behind, picked his gun to shoot the security guard, but unfortunately shot the deceased in the left thigh.
Unconfirmed sources say the two had personal differences over a yet to be identified female friend whom both were interested in.
A police officer who commented on the condition of anonymity dismissed the claim as mere speculation, but that investigation into the matter has begun.
Reports from Njeru say a team of top police officers led by the Njeru DPC SP Edith Basalirwa, the Head of Investigations Njeru, OC FFU, Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) and detectives visited the crime scene as is the crime scene procedure.
The matter has been recorded as murder; vide CRB 240/2024, pending further investigations, and the eventual arrest of the fugitive suspect for prosecution before the court of law.
The scene was examined and documented by D/AIP Muchnguzi Deputy SOCO, who recovered one cartridge and blood swabs at the crime scene.
While the suspect has vanished into thin air with his killer rifle, the deceased gun with serial no UPPOL 565817044-320062 was recovered with all the ammunition intact.
Efforts to get comments from the Ssezibwa Regional Spokesperson Hellen Butoto were futile as her known phone contacts were switched off by the time of filing this story.
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