Policeman, two gunmen killed in a six-hour shootout

By Cyrus Ombati

A policeman was killed and two of his colleagues injured after a shootout with gunmen in Nairobi’s Buru Buru Estate.

A woman who was passing by was also shot dead, reportedly by the thugs who were holed in a house near Buru Buru Police station.

The police gunned down three gangsters and recovered three guns and 56 rounds of ammunition.

The standoff between the police and the gunmen, which began at 11am, only ended after a special squad of the GSU’s Recce squad was called in.

The crack unit shot dead the last gunman who had engaged police officers in the shoot-out that lasted more than six hours.

The GSU were called in to end the standoff that had turned the populous estate into a battlefield.

Sound of gunfire from the automatic rifles rent the air for most of the afternoon and police sealed off the scene for the safety of residents.

Nairobi area PPO Antony Kibuch said the police had received information that the gang was hiding in a house near Buru Buru Police Station.

A shoot-out began, causing panic among residents. Residents rushed to their houses for safety.

Two suspects were killed before the third accomplice escaped to an adjacent house where he engaged the police in a long-drawn shoot-out.

GSU commandant William Saiya said: "Our officers have shot the suspect, who had engaged the police in a gun battle for hours."

Police cordoned off the area as they waited for their colleagues from the GSU to arrive.

The incident happened as another squad of police officers killed two other thugs along the Kangundo Road in Nairobi after a dramatic chase.

The officers recovered two pistols from the suspects.