Police shoot dead suspected bhang peddler

 

Police officers shot dead a suspected bhang peddler who allegedly tried to stab one of them during a crackdown on drug sellers in Gachuriri village, Mbeere South sub-county at around 5pm on Wednesday.

Benson Kakai Wambua, 32, died on the spot after the bullet hit him on the forehead.

Witnesses say the officers ambushed the man as he was preparing rolls of cannabis sativa for sale and tried to arrest him but he resisted violently.

They said the deceased then fished a knife from his trouser pocket and dashed at a police inspector aiming at her throat but missed it and stabbed a nearby water tank.

In the ensuing melee, an officer fired the shot that killed the man.

Gachuriri assistant chief David Mugo confirmed the incident saying officers were alerted by members of the public that Kakai was peddling bhang and they raided his rental house.

Mugo said the police had surrendered with the man to surrender and even fired twice in the air to scare him but he continued to struggle with the officers trying to kill them.

He said police recovered a bag halfway filled with bhang.

Residents depicted Kakai as a mysterious man who had rented several houses in the market and rarely slept in the same house. They said the man also traded in livestock.

“The government will not relent in its war to rid this area off drug and substance abuse and illicit alcohol. We will not allow peddlers to continue destroying the youth. We warn them to change their ways and engage in lawful activities,” said Mugo.

The body was removed to the Embu Level Five Hospital mortuary, while detectives have launched investigations into it.