An Administration Police (AP) officer was on Wednesday night shot dead after he was caught red-handed stealing in a forest.
Sammy Kimutai was busted by a Kenya Forest Service (KFS) ranger transporting timber from Kessup forest in Keiyo North without a license.
According to reports, the 32-year-old officer was in the company of locals while ferrying the illegally extracted timber when the rangers confronted him.
Confirming the incident, North Rift KFS regional coordinator Stephen Chesa divulged that Mr Kimutai became violent and tried to grab the ranger’s gun in a bid to escape arrest.
“He attempted to grab a gun from a ranger when they tried to arrest him. Our officers shot him accidentally during the confrontation,” Chesa was quoted by the Star.
Mr Chesa mentioned that individuals who had accompanied the deceased made away with a firearm magazine belonging to one of the rangers.
Following the killing of the officer, the residents went on a rampage torching a section of the forest and two houses belonging to the rangers.
“Our rangers were forced to shoot in the air severally to disperse charged crowds,” Chesa added.
County Police Commander Sharif Abdallah condemned the act by the locals highlighting that the police would not tolerate violence towards security officers and the illegal cutting of trees in the forest.
