Last night, around 8:40 p.m., a police officer named Evans Kimtai, stationed at the border patrol unit in Todonyang, Turkana North, stormed Cherangany Forest Station and started indiscriminately shooting at station staff.
He shot two rangers, identified as Marion Jerono (kfs 07997) and Abdullah Dzambo Kitole (kfs 06660).
Jennifer Kilonzi Makasi (KFS 07987), another ranger, suffered an injury to her upper right hand and needed immediate medical attention in Eldoret.
Sources at the hospital reveal that he is out of danger. The assailant reportedly used his Toyota Premio (Reg. No. Kau 470b) to try and access the station, but the gate was closed.
He fatally shot himself with his AK-47 rifle (serial number KE-AP 59024592), which had three extra magazines.
Other police officers recovered seventeen cartridges from the scene. After processing the scene, the DCI team expects another team of experts to visit later for further investigations.
The area chief, Andrew Chemalingo, also reported hearing gunshots from the Cherengany forest station at Gorofa village, Kapathiop sub-location, and the Senger location, Mr. Ys 753115, approximately 2 km east of the station.
Officers from Kapcherop police station visited the scene and established that an officer, namely evans kimutai of border patrol unit (bpu) based at Todonyang camp in Turkana north sub-county, Turkana county, stormed the forest station armed with an AK47 rifle and fatally shot (1) forest ranger kfs no. 06660, Abdalla Dzabo Kitolle, aged 22 years, and (2) forest ranger kfs no. 07979, Marion Jerono, aged 20 years.
He also shot forest ranger kfs no. 07987, Jennifer Makasi Kilonzi, aged 24 years, who sustained gunshot injuries on the upper right hand and right side of the chest.
The suspect later fatally shot himself in the chin and succumbed to the injury. The scene recovered one AK-47 rifle with serial number kp-ap 59013592, three AK-47 magazines, one empty, one loaded with three rounds of 7.6239 mm, another loaded with 30 rounds of 7.6239 mm, and 17 spent cartridges. The attack’s motive is believed to be a love triangle affair.
They rushed the injured to the Kapccherop health centre before referring them to MTHR in stable condition. We processed the scene and transported the bodies to the MTRH mortuary, where they were waiting for an autopsy.