An armed guard in Masindi town allegedly shot dead Gerald Asera, a news anchor at Kings Broadcasting Services (93.66fm).
Gerald Asera, a news anchor at Kings Broadcasting Services (KBS 93.6fm) was reportedly shot dead on Tuesday night by a private security guard in Masindi town who allegedly suspected him to be a thief.
Following the sad news, however, the police in Masindi have arrested and detained the security guard, Simon Ekou, a 38-year-old security guard working with Blue Whale security company Limited.
Close sources, however, indicate that on June 1, 2022, at around 0030/c, the suspect while armed and on normal duty at a Coca Cola Depot Masindi saw the victim identified as Asera Gerald, gaining entry in the coca-cola compound through the main entrance that has no gate.
The victim allegedly went straight to where cartons of sodas were and picked four of them; however, as he was leaving, the guard shot him in the chest.
According to Allan Hakiza the police spokesperson of the Albertine Region, they were called to action after the incident and immediately responded and took the victim to Masindi hospital.
Hakiza however, revealed the victim succumbed to injuries upon reaching the hospital.
“Unfortunately, he succumbed to the injuries. A team of officers visited the scene of the crime and recovered the rifle number UG. PSO21008209637 and three rounds of ammunition from the suspect.
These have been exhibited,” Hakiza said the private guard is currently being detained as further investigations into the matter commence.
This is, however, one of the many incidents that have happened of private security guards shooting at civilians or even their colleagues in the country.
Notably, on July 7th 2021, the police in the Kiira region arrested a security guard for allegedly shooting and injuring a 27-year-old man identified as Ivan Maali, a resident of Lubas road in Southern division, Jinja city accusing him of theft.
Another similar incident happened on April 16th 2020, after Dan Okello, a guard at Energo Site located at Kigogwa, Goma Sub-county, in Wakiso allegedly shot at a Muhammad Katende and later abandoned his gun at the crime scene.
These and many others included one that was registered in 2019 at Nalubwama Arcade on Ben Kiwanuka Street in Kampala when a guard opened fire at civilians, killing a woman who was on a motorcycle and also injuring a Kampala University student.
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