A police officer was fatally shot by a suspected thug in Thika’s Cravers area on Wednesday, June 18, in a brazen daylight attack that has rattled residents and intensified calls for better security enforcement.
The officer, a plainclothes constable attached to the Special Police Investigations Unit (SPIV), was reportedly conducting a routine inspection of motorcycles in the area when the fatal incident occurred.
According to eyewitnesses and preliminary police reports, the officer had flagged down a motorcyclist whose bike lacked the required digital registration codes used to verify bona fide boda boda operators.
After questioning the rider and removing the motorcycle’s ignition key, a confrontation ensued. The suspect, believed to be armed with a Ceska pistol, pulled out the weapon and shot the officer in the neck before fleeing the scene.
The constable was rushed to Thika Nursing Home but was pronounced dead upon arrival due to the severity of his injuries.
A magazine loaded with bullets, believed to have been dropped by the suspect during his escape, was recovered at the scene by police officers who quickly responded to the incident.
Moments after the shooting, the suspect reportedly escaped into a nearby estate where he hijacked another motorbike from a rider who had a passenger. Surveillance footage obtained by Kenyans.co.ke shows the suspect brandishing a firearm and forcing the rider and his passenger to flee on foot before he made off with the motorcycle.
The rider later confirmed in an interview that the suspect had abandoned the bike during the escape, allowing him to recover it.
As of Wednesday evening, it remained unclear whether the suspect had been arrested. However, authorities confirmed that a manhunt is underway and investigations are ongoing to uncover the full circumstances surrounding the officer’s death.
This incident comes at a time when Kenya’s law enforcement agencies are facing increased scrutiny over cases of police brutality and alleged extrajudicial killings. The fatal shooting of an officer in the line of duty adds a new dimension to the ongoing debate on security, justice, and accountability within the force.
