Cop who shot dead 6 within minutes was under probe for fatally shooting a man in April

BY OLIVIA MUNGWANA

Constable Benson Imbatu, the police officer who shot six people in a killing spree had on April fatally shot another person in Mountain View Estate in Nairobi.

On April 16, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) launched investigations into the fatal shooting of Nicholas Lifede at Mountain View Estate in Kabete, Nairobi.

Lifede had on April 8 been shot dead by an officer based at Kabete Police Station.

Ann Makori, the IPOA chairperson said the authority had dispatched its Rapid Investigations Team to establish the circumstances that led to the shooting.

“Investigations are already underway with the Authority having taken some witness accounts and attended the post mortem examination,” Makori said.

About eight months later – the main suspect in the fatal shooting, Constable Imbatu, went berserk and shot dead his wife and five other men before turning the gun on himself.

His colleagues did not suspect anything when Imbatu who had been assigned night guard duties excused himself to drive to his home while armed.

Though he was under investigation for a serious offence, the officer continued discharging his duties and would be armed. Makori had said that upon the conclusion of the investigation, the authority would make appropriate recommendations, including prosecution in the event that culpability for using lethal force inappropriately, was established.