Police officer injured by mob for strangling a suspect, cops fire in the air, civilian dies out of shock

Two people, among them a suspect and a civilian, lost their lives on Tuesday following a bizarre incident that took place in the Kijitoni area of Lamu County.

According to reports, the suspect was stopped by police officers patrolling the area and, upon being searched, was found in possession of a controlled substance believed to be heroin stashed in a piece of paper.

Before the officers could retrieve the paper, the suspect, 40, allegedly swallowed it much to the annoyance of the police officers who impulsively started choking the suspect in an attempt to have him spit out the drugs.

In the ensuing melee, the police officers reportedly strangled the suspect to death.

Irked area residents who had witnessed the incident, descended on one of the officers with kicks and blows, leaving him with serious injuries. 

Police officers were forced to fire in the air to disperse the crowd which had gathered outside King Fahad Kisiwani Hospital and was baying for the blood of other officers involved in the incident.

A patient who had been admitted at the hospital reportedly died from shock as a result of the gunshots.