The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has begun examining the death of a taxi driver in Garissa county, an occurrence that ignited demonstrations and intensified worries about police behavior.
In a declaration, IPOA Vice Chair Ann Wanjiku stated that the Rapid Response Team had started looking into the death of Adan Mohamed Hassan, who was killed near the Modika Barrier during the early morning hours of Tuesday.
The organization initiated the examination after receiving official information about the incident from the National Police Service, as mandated by law,” Wanjiku stated.
Initial findings suggest that around 2.20am, the victim responded to an urgent call from a friend who was apparently detained by police officers.
Throughout the occurrence, Hassan’s vehicle was reportedly damaged by officers affiliated with the Balambala Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
As the victim tried to intervene, he received a fatal gunshot injury,” IPOA reported. A subsequent autopsy verified that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head.
Wanjiku mentioned that their investigators have already taken various measures as part of the investigation, such as attending the autopsy, documenting witness accounts, gathering police records, preserving evidence, and recording the crime scene along with the damaged vehicles.
The organization remains dedicated to carrying out independent and fair investigations into the case,” IPOA mentioned, while encouraging the public to maintain calmness to enable the uninterrupted advancement of the probe.
The shooting demonstrations erupted in various areas of Garissa, with citizens going to the streets to seek justice and responsibility. Local residents portrayed the victim as innocent and challenged the conditions that led to his shooting.
Based on police accounts, the situation developed after officers had halted and apprehended a driver in the area. They assert that a second vehicle, a Toyota Probox containing approximately nine individuals, came to the location shortly after.
Police maintain that the group, supposedly armed with a rifle and machetes, assaulted officers, compelling them to fire warning shots into the air as they retreated.
Nevertheless, residents have contested this narrative, asserting that excessive force might have been employed and requesting a comprehensive and clear investigation.
The body of the deceased was transferred to the Garissa County Referral Hospital morgue, where it awaits subsequent processes.
The incident happened in an area that has previously been marked for instances of smuggling of uncustomized goods from neighboring Somalia, a factor that officials mention occasionally complicates security activities.
Focus now shifts to IPOA’s conclusions, which are anticipated to establish the conditions surrounding the shooting and if any officers will be held responsible.