Buikwe, (UG): The Territorial Police in Sezibwa Region and Buikwe District have arrested a private security guard of Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL) for allegedly shooting dead an employee he suspected to be a thief.
The guard only identified as Ouma, 30, attached to Spytech Security and Guards Ltd is said to have gunned down Ivan Onenchan, 27, an employee in the security department at the sugar factory in an incident that occurred on Tuesday night at the factory premises in Lugazi.
Ouma told detectives that he had found the deceased attempting to remove a battery from one of the parked trucks as he routinely patrolled in the night before opening gunfire at him.
The suspect who is currently detained at Lugazi Central Police Station shot Onenchan in the left hand and the lower right stomach before he fell down and died later. He emphasized to law enforcers that he shot Onenchan after the latter “declined to identify himself.”
“I asked him to identify himself, and also tell me what he was doing in the parking lot at such an awkward time. He [deceased] didn’t respond. Instead, he was moving towards me with the intention of grabbing my gun, and it was from here that I shot him,” he said.
However, Monitor reported on Wednesday that the on-scene CCTV footage showed the guard shooting the victim from close range, even though the latter had raised both his hands in what’s commonly seen as a sign of surrender.
Ms Hellen Butoto, the Sezibwa Region Police Spokesperson told this publication that police were still gathering facts, including scrutiny of the CCTV footage, to help in the ongoing investigations.
“We are investigating the case bit by bit to establish what exactly happened. In the suspect’s statement, he claims that the deceased wanted to grab his gun. This is a very common excuse among armed people,” Ms Butoto stated.
“That is why we are doing our investigations professionally until we get what we want, and thereafter take action based on our findings.”
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