An undercover police officer was shot and killed during a dramatic encounter with a suspected robber in Thika Town, Kiambu County. The incident unfolded in the Kianjau area at around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, when a team of officers from the Special Police Investigations Unit (Spiv), who operate undercover, were on patrol.
The officers had been monitoring the Cravers area when they noticed a suspicious motorcycle. Upon intercepting it, the rider abandoned the bike and took off on foot. As the officers closed in, the suspect suddenly knelt, pretending to surrender.
However, as two officers approached, the suspect pulled a firearm and began shooting indiscriminately. Caught off guard, the officers quickly sought cover. During the exchange, one of the officers, identified as Constable Bernard Koome, was shot in the neck.
The suspect immediately fled on foot while continuing to fire shots into the air, creating panic in the area. One of Koome’s colleagues, who was unarmed, picked up his fallen comrade’s pistol and attempted to pursue the fleeing gunman but was unsuccessful in catching him.
The gunman later hijacked a motorcycle from a rider who was carrying a passenger. At gunpoint, he forced the rider to abandon the bike and rode off, disappearing from the scene. The incident was partially captured on video, showing the suspect threatening the bodaboda rider and taking control of the motorbike.
Koome was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival due to the gunshot wound.
Police launched an extensive manhunt and cordoned off the area. Forensic experts recovered two spent 9mm cartridges from the scene, along with a Czeska pistol magazine loaded with seven rounds. Investigators believe the magazine belonged to the suspect.
Ballistic tests were commissioned on the recovered ammunition as efforts to trace and apprehend the suspect intensified. Despite the heavy presence of law enforcement and the swift launch of the operation, the suspect remains at large.
Authorities suspect the assailant is part of a criminal network that has been terrorizing residents of Thika and its environs. The area has recently seen a spike in criminal activity, prompting increased patrols and undercover operations to restore security.
Police assured the public that investigations were ongoing and vowed to bring the perpetrator to justice. They urged anyone with information to come forward, emphasizing the importance of community support in ending the wave of crime.
