Junior Police Officer Shoots Self Dead in His Car at DCI Headquarters

A junior police officer died by suicide after shooting himself in his car at the parking lot of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters in Nairobi.

It is not clear why the police driver decided to die by suicide. His colleagues said he locked himself in the car and shot himself in the head.

He died instantly in the Wednesday, October 11 incident. His colleagues were alerted by the sound of the bullet from the parking lot and on checking they found him dead. His head had been burst by the bullet from his pistol.

His body was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy. Senior officers were in the office at the time of the incident.

This is the latest such incident to happen in the service. Last week, a senior officer died by suicide in his house in Utawala area, Nairobi.

Read: Senior Cop Shoots Self Dead in his House in Utawala 

Superintendent Ezra Ouma shot himself in his house Thursday October 5 afternoon moments after he had called his friend who is also a police officer and told her he would die by suicide.

Ouma was in charge of special operations bureau (SOB) at Kayole police division. He was due for retirement in two years, his colleagues said.

Police who visited the scene said Ouma had also shot a neighbor in the left leg after he tried to stop him from his mission.

Dozens of police officers have died as a result of suicide in a trend that is attributed to stress at work.

As part of efforts to address the trend, police authorities have launched counselling services and the National Police Service Commission has established a unit and staffed it to attend to their demanding situation.

Read Also: Police Constable Shoots Self Dead in Mombasa

The counselling unit will, among other things, evaluate, design and lead an outreach programme that helps prevent mental health and substance abuse.

At least three suicide cases involving police officers are recorded every month.

Officials say police are generally on the receiving end of all community problems.

They are expected to maintain law and order in very difficult situations, besides putting their lives at risk.

Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma.