A Kenyan police officer went on a shooting spree, killing seven of his
colleagues, including a member of hostage response team on Thursday,
July 14 at Kapenguria Police Station. One of the officers includes
Officer Dennis Momany from Coy Ruiru, who got married few weeks ago.
The siege began when the attacker, identified as Abdilhakim Maslah,
opened fire on his fellow officers, leading to a hostage situation.
Police at first suspected the attacker had ties to the al-Shabab
jihadist group.
According to the police, Maslah, a station guard, got off work Wednesday
night but returned to the Kapenguria station shortly after 5am on
Thursday and started shooting.
A separate police statement to the media said the officer, “for yet
unknown reasons, went berserk and grabbed a firearm” and started
shooting. The statement said the officer wore a “turban that covered his
whole face, leading to the previous suspicions” that he was a
terrorist.
Earlier, Police Inspector General Joseph Boinnet had said in a statement
that commandos had surrounded the police station in an attempt to bring
the standoff to an end.
“His attempts to escape were thwarted by quick arrival by other officers,” Boinnet said.
Five police officers, including a senior officer, were among the dead,
reports The Nation Kenya, quoting West Pokot County Commissioner Wilson
Wanyanga.
KTN Kenya said as many as six officers had died in Kapenguria. Police
commandos were deployed to rescue prisoners held at the station and end
the standoff, Kenya’s police chief, Joseph Boinnet, said before the
crisis ended.
All but one of the officers killed worked at the station. The station
commander was among them, West Pokot County Commissioner Wilson Wanyanga
said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta condoles with the families and colleagues of the victims,
“Today, I mourn with the families of the young men who died in
Kapenguria defending their nation against a depraved killer, he said in a
statement.
“We do not know what led the killer to his foul and evil deeds, but
Kenyans can be certain that my government’s security and investigative
agencies will do all within their power to discover what motivated this
attack. I celebrate the lives of the young patriots who died defending
the law and order we so often take for granted.
In days to come, my government will give their families every support as
they come to terms with these tragic events. My family and I pray that
God will grant them the grace to bear these losses. Kenya remains
strong. This is a country of laws and order, not violence and hatred. We
will not allow ourselves to be shaken, or to be divided by the foul
deeds of a single man.”
One of the victims, Officer Dennis Momany from Coy Ruiru pictured on his wedding day few weeks ago.