The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
The National Police Service is facing scrutiny following the killing of police officer Raphael Ojiambo Smart at the Tseikuru Police Training Camp in Kitui County under circumstances that remain unclear.
The suspected shooter, identified in reports as fellow officer Hussein Yusuf Ali, allegedly fled the scene after the incident and remains at large. Two G3 rifles were reportedly recovered during investigations.
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Smart, who had graduated from police training only weeks earlier, sustained a gunshot wound to the chest. The bullet reportedly passed through his chest towards the collarbone, damaging the upper part of his lungs.
Pathologist Benard Midia said the officer died from a single penetrating gunshot wound to the chest.
“The deceased died of a single penetrating gunshot wound to the chest. The wound went through to the collarbone and punctured the upper part of the lungs,” Midia said.
The suspected shooter is also said to have graduated alongside Smart before the incident.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting have raised questions among the deceased’s relatives, who say they are yet to establish what led to his death.
Smart’s relative, Franklin Tanganyika, expressed concern over injuries reportedly found on the deceased’s arm, questioning whether he may have been assaulted before he was shot.
He said the family was also troubled by reports of a video showing the officer with injuries, adding that they wanted investigators to establish what happened before the shooting.
The deceased’s aunt said the family had initially been informed that the incident arose from a disagreement over a phone charger. However, she questioned whether such a dispute could have escalated into a fatal shooting, suggesting there could have been other underlying issues.
Investigators are also examining reports that Smart was making a video recording shortly before he was shot. One theory under investigation is that the suspected shooter may have targeted the phone, with the bullet allegedly passing through the device before striking the officer in the chest.
Authorities are expected to examine the damaged phone to determine whether any video footage recorded shortly before the shooting can be recovered.
The recovery of two G3 rifles, alongside reports that no spent bullet casing was found at the scene, has also raised questions about the circumstances of the shooting and the handling of the scene.
Midia said bullet fragments recovered from the back of the deceased’s chest had been submitted for ballistic analysis.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is handling witnesses and evidence as investigations continue.
The pathologist said the available findings made it unlikely that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted, adding that specimens and samples had been collected for further examination to help establish the circumstances of the death.
Smart’s family is now demanding justice as investigators work to establish what happened at the training camp and the suspected shooter remains at large.
