A man selling face masks in Nairobi’s CBD was shot in the head at point-blank range by a police officer on Tuesday, June 17, in a disturbing incident that has ignited public outrage.
According to a video shared by Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo, the unidentified man was going about his business when he was accosted by two uniformed police officers.
He was standing on the walkway as the two officers ran past, only to abruptly stop and confront him.
The footage shows one officer slapping the man across the face and as he tried to shield himself, the second officer struck him in the waist with the butt of a gun.
In a desperate attempt to escape, the man turned to flee. However, one officer raised his weapon, aimed, and shot him in the head as he ran.
The man collapsed to the ground, motionless, still clutching a packet of black facemasks he was selling to protestors.
After firing the fatal shot, the officers walked away, heading in the direction they came from.
Moments later, a group of protesters rushed to the man’s side, finding him unresponsive.
“He was selling masks and when the running battles broke out, he remained alone as the rest of us ran. We just saw one of the officers shoot him after which he fell to the ground,” the victim’s colleague told journalists.
The graphic video has since gone viral on social media, further fuelling anger and condemnation against the police.
Earlier, activist Hanifa Adan was reportedly assaulted during the ongoing protests over the death of Albert Ojwang.
Adan, who had joined fellow demonstrators demanding justice for Ojwang, recounted a harrowing experience involving an attack by suspected goons as police allegedly looked on without intervening.
“The police are watching the goons terrorizing innocent people. One of the goons beat me up and took my phone, and I caught his jacket trying to get my phone back as he continued bodying me. Other people joined and caught up with him. I took my phone, and he got beaten up,” she said.
Additional reporting reveals that the victim of the shooting has been identified as one Eli Jacob.
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