A senior police officer who was wanted over a shooting incident in a bar in Sotik, Bomet County surrendered to authorities on Thursday.
The Chief Inspector
of Police is an Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at a police station in Trans Nzoia
County.
As an OCS, he is a commander of a key operational unit of the police.
He was wanted since November 26 following a shooting incident at his bar in Sotik in an altercation with a reveller.
He was off duty at the time of the incident and at his rural home, almost 400km away from his place of work.
He surrendered Thursday at the Sotik Police Station as his colleagues said they are
investigating attempted murder over the shooting.
Police said he also
surrendered a pistol issued to him. It will be subjected to ballistic tests as
part of the probe into the incident.
He is said to have
shot Charles Mutai in the abdomen at around 7 pm on Tuesday.
The incident happened at a bar located at
Kapcherany Market.
The exact motive behind the shooting is yet to
be established, police said.
Following the shooting, Mutai was rushed to
Kapkatet Hospital for initial treatment before being transferred to Litein
Mission Hospital.
He is currently recovering in stable condition,
said police.
Detectives from Sotik Subcounty headquarters who
visited the crime scene recovered a spent 9mm cartridge, which will be crucial
in their probe.
They will subject it ballistic examination to aid in the investigations.
The police officer
turned suspect is said to have escaped the scene soon after the incident.
Officers aware of the probe said they had
ordered the escapee to surrender himself.
They intend to question him including the
injured person to understand what may led to the shooting.
He is likely to face charges ranging from misuse
of a firearm and attempted murder.
The incident now raises serious concerns over the conduct of some law enforcement officers while off duty amid calls for measures to address handling of the firearms.
