Suspect shot after violently resisting arrest

A man wanted over allegations of threatening violence and assault was shot dead in Kyankwanzi District after he allegedly violently resisted arrest and attacked police officers sent to apprehend him.
Asuman Barushimana, 40, a peasant and resident of Gayaza East LC1 in Gayaza Sub-county, died at Gayaza Health Centre III several hours after he was shot in the leg during the confrontation with police on September 26.
Wamala Region Police spokesperson Lameck Kigozi said two officers from Gayaza Sub-county Police Station had gone to arrest Barushimana at about 5:45pm when he allegedly turned on them.
“When he saw the policemen approaching his home, he aimed a spear at them, which they dodged,” Kigozi said.
According to Kigozi, Barushimana then allegedly pelted the officers with stones and other objects, injuring Sergeant Stephene Okongo, before entering his house and returning with two pangas and a hammer.
Kigozi said the suspect charged at the officers despite attempts to stop him, prompting Sergeant Okongo, who had sustained serious injuries in the confrontation, to fire warning shots.
“Despite the warning shots, he remained advancing towards the policemen,” Kigozi said.
The officers eventually shot Barushimana in the right leg to stop the attack. He was rushed to Gayaza Health Centre III for treatment but died several hours later.
Kigozi said the death was reported at Gayaza Sub-county Police Station at about 12:10am on September 27 and the case was later registered as murder under Kyankwanzi CRB 916/2026.
Police visited and documented the scene, recorded statements from witnesses and examined the deceased’s body. An SMG rifle suspected to have been used in the shooting was recovered with 10 rounds of ammunition and kept as an exhibit.
The body was later handed over to the relatives for burial, while one police officer was arrested as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the shooting continued.
Kigozi urged people who are wanted by police to cooperate with officers and avoid violently resisting arrest, warning that such confrontations can have fatal consequences.
“People who find themselves in conflict with the law and are wanted by police should always be cooperative. They should resist the temptation of resisting arrest violently because police is at liberty to use reasonable force to overcome any amount of resistance put up by the suspect,” he said.