Heavy gunfire as Mombasa cops gun down armed man

Police in Mombasa killed a suspected robber in a shootout at dawn yesterday.

All was well in the residential area of Aldina in Jomvu until 4am when gunshots rent the air.

Police said they recovered a Berreta pistol which was loaded with six bullets. The slain thug was identified as George Oriando alias Blackie.

Security sources said detectives will conduct a ballistic examination on the weapon to establish whether it was stolen from a police officer.

Jomvu police boss James Mutua said Mr Oriando started shooting at officers who had stormed a one-bedroom house he was living in.

"Our officers retreated back and that is when we deployed other officers to flush out the suspect. The mission was successful," said police boss.

He said the suspect was alone in the house, but they suspect he might have been living with other criminals.

Mr Mutua said they had launched an investigation to establish who Oriando lived with. There were no casualties on the side of the police, he added.

The body was taken to Coast General Hospital mortuary.

The police chief lauded locals for volunteering information to police saying it was a good gesture between them and security apparatus in heightening security.