A police officer on Saturday shot his girlfriend dead before attempting suicide in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
The officer, Constable Njoroge Njau, according to police reports, shot Anne Wanjohi using his official Jericho firearm before turning it on himself.
The officer entered the Braidwood House on Tom Mboya Street opposite the Nairobi Fire Station at around 8.30pm where he found his girlfriend, who was an attendant at Web Link Cyber Café.
HEAD SHOT
Nairobi Police Commander Japhet Koome said a scuffle over an unclear issue ensued that led to Anne being killed.
“He then shot himself three times rendering himself unconscious. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition,” Mr Koome said.
Witnesses said Constable Njau went to the cyber café and found the lady attending to a client.
He asked her to talk to him but she said she was busy.
“He left the cyber very angry and told her he would be back in a few minutes.
“He told her she should know that he had never in his life loved someone the way he loved her,” a workmate said.
ESCAPE
He said when the officer returned, he grabbed the woman’s hand and pointed the gun at her chest and told her that he would kill her then kill himself.
“He shot her in the chest and let go of her hand but when Anne turned around in pain, he shot her twice in the head and then twice on her back and she fell on the floor dead.
“He was also threatening to shoot all of us and so we escaped from the scene because we could not save Anne anymore; only to come back later to find him on the floor with the pistol he used still on his hand,” the witness said.
COUNSELLING
Police who were called to the scene confiscated the firearm, serial number KP 40309165, and took him to Kenyatta National Hospital for treatment.
Anne’s body was taken to Chiromo Mortuary.
The incident adds to the high number of police officers committing suicide or killing their friends, relatives, lovers and colleagues using their official firearms.
Human rights defenders have been pushing for constant provision of counselling services for security officers in order to reduce such cases.
