Police in Matungulu, Machakos County, shot dead a suspect linked to the theft of an AK-47 rifle from an Administration Police officer in Mlolongo last year.
The shooting occurred in the Masokani area, between Koma and Kenol in Matungulu Sub-County, during a confrontation between police and the suspects on Friday night.
Police said one of the suspects escaped after sustaining gunshot wounds during the exchange of fire.
Matungulu OCPD Peter Gichohi confirmed the incident, saying the suspect who was killed had been on the police radar.
The incident unfolded in the Mashokani area of Matungulu Sub-County, along the Koma–Kenol Highway, after detectives, acting on actionable intelligence, cornered a gang terrorising the area.
The suspects were cruising in a Toyota Harrier when detectives flagged them down.
Instead of surrendering, the gang opened fire, turning the highway into a scene of gunfire.
Detectives returned fire, triggering a fierce shootout in which one suspect, armed with an AK-47, was fatally wounded.
His accomplice, armed with a pistol, bolted from the scene and managed to escape. Detectives have since launched a hot pursuit to trail him down.
Recovered from the fallen suspect was an AK-47 rifle, loaded with 11 rounds of 7.62×39mm ammunition.
Preliminary investigation established that the rifle is the same firearm stolen from a police officer during a violent robbery in Mavoko in November 2025.
During that attack, three armed men accosted the officer while he was guarding a residence in Athi River.
They shot him on the chest and both legs before escaping with his AK-47 rifle, loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, and his mobile phone.
A search of the suspects’ Toyota Harrier yielded eight mobile phones, four balaclavas, crowbars and torches.
Crime Scene Investigation detectives processed the scene, while the body of the deceased suspect was moved to Kangundo Level 4 Hospital mortuary pending autopsy.
As the escaped suspect remains on the run, detectives are leaving no stone unturned in the hunt to bring him to justice and unravel the gang’s wider criminal network.
The body was taken to the Kangundo Hospital mortuary as investigations into the incident continue.
Witnesses described being shocked by the incident, which unfolded in the area.
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