A police sergeant was on Thursday, August 26 charged with murder over the fatal shooting of a Form Two Student, Tony Katana, in Mombasa in 2016.
Sergeant John Otieno, who was attached to Nyali police station at the time of the incident, was arraigned at the Mombasa High Court.
His arraignment followed a probe conducted by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and subsequent approval of murder charges by the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji.
Katana was shot dead at Uwanja wa Mbuzi, Kongowea in Mombasa on August 12, 2016.
At the time of the incident, he was 16 years old and a student at Havards Secondary School.
The shooting, IPOA said, was witnessed by among others, police officers on patrol duties as well as some of the student’s friends who had accompanied him to a night wedding in the area.
Read: IPOA Opens Probe into Alleged Killing of Kayole Rider by Police
The agency launched investigations into the incident after the student’s body was discovered and positively identified by relatives at the Coast General Hospital mortuary a day after the shooting.
The agency established that the student died of bullet injuries inflicted during an encounter with police at Uwanja wa Mbuzi.
“The death falls within IPOA mandate; to hold police accountable for their actions,” IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori said in a statement on Thursday.
Read Also: IPOA Launches Probe into Death of Man in Kahawa West Demonstrations
Meanwhile, the accused was remanded at Port police station until September 7, 2021 when he is scheduled to take a plea.
Before taking a plea, he will undergo a mental assessment to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
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