Prison warder kills UPDF major

Masindi.

Residents of Masindi town are in shock after a senior army officer was shot dead on Thursday night.
According to eye witnesses, Maj Erasmus Tinkamarire,45, was gunned down near the office of Masindi Resident District Commissioner (RDC), which is located along Butyaba road.
Security officials who identified the deceased said he was a UPDF Zonal pensions officer.
According to police, Maj Tinkamarire went to the office block that hosts the RDC’s office dressed in civilian clothes at about 10.30pm.

Accompanied by his girlfriend, one Rehema Abenanye, he parked a Honda motorcycle registration number DFM 094 in the compound and left it pedaling.
He reportedly went for a short call at a nearby toilet where a prison warder, Musa Arumadri had taken cover.
“A scuffle started and the prison warder shot the Major at close range in the chest and he died instantly” the Albertine regional police spokesperson Mr Julius Hakiza told the Daily Monitor on Friday.

Security operatives from police, army and Prisons rushed to the scene after learning of the incident.
Investigations have commenced and Arumadri who allegedly shot the UPDF officer has been arrested to help police in their investigations, Mr Hakiza said.
The warder is being held at Masindi Police station and a post-mortem on Tinkamarire’s body has been conducted at Masindi hospital.

Preliminary investigations show that Maj Tinkamarire died of over bleeding due to gun-shot wounds.
Security around the office of the Masindi RDC has been heightened since March 27 when unidentified criminals broke into the office and made off with computers, flash discs and some official documents.
The Masindi District security committee consequently passed a resolution to beef up deployment around the office block which also hosts offices of the District Internal Security officer (DISO), UPDF zonal offices, legal aid clinic and the regional Prisons office.

“Preliminary investigations show that Maj Tinkamarire had come to pick a laptop from his office but first opted to go for a short call from where he was shot,” a detective who is part of the investigating team said.
Mr Hakiza said the warder told the investigators that Maj Tinkamarire was dressed in civilian clothes and did not identify or introduce himself to the security officials deployed to guard the government offices.
Asked whether police will prefer murder charges against Arumadri, Mr Hakiza said police will hand over the file to the resident state attorney for perusal and advise after investigations are complete.

Recent cases
Bunyoro region has registered two separate incidents of murder by shooting in the last two weeks.
Amos Musinguzi, 30,a security guard attached to security group Africa was reportedly shot by his workmate near opportunity bank, Hoima branch on Tuesday.
The security guard who allegedly killed the deceased handed himself to Hoima central police station.

The deceased who was off duty was killed after exchanging some words with the suspect, witnesses have said.
Last Wednesday, there was stampede at Hoima police barracks when a police officer, Mr Lawrence Kayaga, 34 shot himself at about 5pm.
Detectives rushed to the scene and recovered the gun number UG Police 056579-10810 with 29 rounds of ammunitions.
“I have left my ATM card with Mrs Serwada, I have decided to do so because I have no strength and peace at the moment” the handwritten chit he left behind read in part.

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