Kampala, (UG): Pastor Aloysius Bugingo’s vehicle has been delivered to the Criminal Investigations Directorate headquarters at Kibuli following the targeted shooting incident that happened in Namungoona on Tuesday 2nd January 2024.
The Vehicle bearing visible bullet holes has been the talk of the town, with many commentators wondering where it is being hidden, more than 48 hours since the fatal shooting which claimed one Richard Muhumuza, Bugingo’s bodyguard.
Although the House of Prayer Ministries boss was able to drive to Mulago Hospital, he survived the assassination attempt after only one bullet reportedly hit him in the back but over seven were retired from the body of his bodyguard, Richard Muhumuza who was allegedly shot more than 10 times.
The narrative of how the pastor escaped the shooting and managed to drive the deceased to the hospital has become a subject of debate.
The employees at Salt Media, owned by the pastor said he told them that when the shooter started firing, he heard a voice commanding him to duck below the steering wheel, which he instantly did. They attributed the voice to be a spiritual guide that helped their beloved pastor dodge the raining bullets.
From the pictures shared by NTVUganda on social media, visible holes on the left side of the car show the car was shot ten times, at close range by the killer gun. Several commentators on social media doubted that the shooter couldn’t have missed the target (Bugingo) yet he was firing at close range.
Some even doubted that the pastor sustained a wound in the back as alleged while others wondered why Pastor Bugingo didn’t drive straight to the police, but to the hospital which was a bit far from the crime scene compared to nearby police stations.
As conspiracy theories gained strength over the attempted assassination of the Man of God, an extra dilemma arose with mismatching theories on the deceased’s profession and role in the church.
In his first interview with the media hours after the incident, Pastor Bugingo referred to the deceased as an elder in his church but confusion arose when security agencies identified the late as an SFC soldier, who had been deployed to guard the pastor.
In fact, one former employee of the State House in a posit via X (formerly known as Twitter) wondered why a pastor is protected by a military unit that is only supposed to protect the president and strategic facilities.
The question was quick to get an ‘answer’ from then a former powerful military general, now retired who responded saying the former State House employee was asking a wrong question.
The retired general said he should have asked who Pastor Bugingo is “because the law allows one to be both a pastor and intelligence officer or a commander.”
Police preempted the investigation dilemma when a Wednesday statement by KMP deputy spokesperson, Mr Luke Owoyesigyire said the crime scene where the shooting happened had been tampered with by the time SOCO (scene of crime officers) arrived.
This still left unanswered questions being that from the crime scene to the nearby police station, which is just a few metres away, and why they took that long to respond to the over-10 bullets shot by the assailants before disappearing in thin air?
ASP Owoyesigyire maintained that police are engrossed in reviewing footage from various CCTV cameras as part of the ongoing investigation.
However, police sources speaking on condition of anonymity told this publication that in one of the CCTV clips seen, it appears as if there was only a lone rider involved in the alleged attack. We could however not verify this information.
Below, we take a look at some of the pictures of vehicles from similar assassination attacks on high-profile persons in the country.
DailyExpress understands that investigations into the attempted shooting at Pastor Bugingo and the murder by shooting of his bodyguard, Cpl Richard Muhumuza are being led by ACP Bob Kagarura, the commander, of the KMP Criminal Investigations Department.
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