- Police arrived at the scene of the shooting minutes later and recovered one spent cartridge.
- The team also recovered a motorcycle and sack of maize the woman planned to use in transporting her harvest.
Image: STAR
Police are investigating the motive behind the fatal shooting of three people in a village in Igembe, Meru County.
The first victim was identified as Florence Mukira, 22 who was shot as she transported a sack of maize she had harvested on July 24 night.
According to Nicholas Mugambi one of the family members who escaped unhurt, the assailants attacked them as they harvested some crops from their farm.
"We ran away after hearing the gunshots. We don't know why they are killing us," he said.
He told police they were at their farm harvesting maize when he heard gunshots forcing him to scamper for safety.
He came back and the woman who is his wife was lying in a pool of blood after being shot in the back with the bullet exiting through the right side of the chest.
She was rushed to Mutuati sub-county hospital for treatment where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police arrived at the scene of the shooting minutes later and recovered one spent cartridge.
The team also recovered a motorcycle and sack of maize the woman planned to use in transporting her harvest.
The officers said they patrolled the area to nearby Luthaya hills, where two lifeless bodies of two men were found lying with gunshot wounds.
The two according to police were later identified as those of Stanley Kalunge, 38 from Tira area and Stanley Kiboi, 40 from Atutuine village.
Another spent cartridge was also recovered at the scene. The bodies were taken to Nyambene sub-county hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem examination.
Police say they are yet to establish the motive of the shooting which seemed to have been committed by one gang.
Locals protested the lack of swift action by police to get the gunmen.
The gang escaped the scene and no arrest has been made so far. Locals said it was the sixth time such a shooting happens in the area and they suspect cattle rustlers to be behind the trend.
Mutuati police boss Joseph Chesire said they are investigating the incident and that more personnel had been sent to the area to pursue the gang behind the incident.