Police officer sentenced to 30 years for killing colleague in Eldoret bar

A High Court in Eldoret has sentenced a police officer to 30 years in prison for the murder of his colleague following a fatal shooting inside a liquor store in 2024.

According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the accused, Ali Ahmed Mohammed, who was attached to the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit in Trans Nzoia Sub-County, was found guilty of killing Anthony Pkiror Areutum.

The court heard that on February 27, 2024, at about 1.00 pm., the officer had just completed his duty shift when he entered VDM Liquor Store while armed with a Taurus pistol issued to him earlier that morning.

While at the premises, the deceased raised concerns about how the accused was handling and displaying the firearm and advised him to place it safely.

However, a confrontation ensued between the two and in the process, the accused fatally wounded the deceased and injured himself.

“The accused became irritated by the remarks and, in response, pointed the pistol towards the deceased in protest. In the process, the firearm discharged, fatally wounding the deceased and injuring the accused,” ODPP stated.

During the hearing, the prosecution called five witnesses and produced the arms movement register, the ballistics report and the post-mortem report as exhibits, corroborating the circumstances leading to the fatal shooting.

Justice Reuben Nyakundi, in his judgment, noted that the defence had not presented any mitigating factors such as self-defence, provocation, immaturity, drunkenness, or accidental discharge.

He further observed that the Taurus revolver issued to the accused to safeguard the public in Trans Nzoia County was instead unlawfully used to take the life of a fellow officer in the National Police Service.