Police in South Kyoga have launched an investigation into the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old man in Ngora District after he allegedly attacked a police officer with a panga, leaving the officer with multiple cuts. Mark Ongaram was shot on Monday afternoon when police responded to a violent confrontation between him and his elder sister, Florence Tino, at their home.
Preliminary information indicates that the dispute began at about 8 am when Ongaram allegedly demanded food from Tino. When she failed to serve him, he reportedly picked up a panga and an axe and threatened to kill her. Tino reportedly locked herself inside a grass-thatched house for protection, but Ongaram allegedly continued hacking at the door in an attempt to reach her.
Residents who heard the commotion tried to intervene but were reportedly overpowered, prompting them to call the police for assistance. When officers arrived, they reportedly ordered Ongaram to surrender the sharp objects. However, he allegedly refused and charged at one of the officers with a panga.
Jacenta Ayo, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Ngora, said the officer initially attempted to scare Ongaram by firing warning shots into the air, but the man continued his attack. “The police went to the scene with only one gun, so in an attempt to scare Ongaram, he did not listen; he went and inflicted cuts on the police officer thrice before the officer lost control and shot him in the leg and the chest,” Ayo said.
Ayo said Ongaram was suspected of being under the influence of drugs and had previously been involved in confrontations with members of the community. “The whole community is wondering because even after hearing the gun being fired, he still ran to the same spot until he cut the police officer thrice. We managed to rescue Tino, who was still locked up in the house at the time, and conducted a search where we recovered different sorts of drugs in Ongaram’s house,” Ayo added.
She confirmed that police had opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Ongaram’s body was taken to Ngora Freda Carr Mortuary for a postmortem examination, while the injured police officer is receiving treatment at Soroti Hospital. Police investigations are expected to establish the full circumstances of the incident, including the use of lethal force.
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