Police officer shoots self dead in barracks
Police in Pallisa have commenced with investigations into circumstances under which one of their own, AIP George William Kaweesi, allegedly shot himself dead.
Kaweesi, 45, was attached to the Field Force Unit (FFU) in Pallisa District.
ASP Immaculate Emilly Alaso, the North Bukedi Regional Police spokesperson, said Kaweesi had reported to Pallisa Police Station on transfer as Officer in-charge from Magamaga and was allocated a house in the FFU barracks.
“The deceased was helped by other FFU officers to put his property inside the room. He was well dressed in his full FFU uniform armed with his SMG,” Alaso said.
However, on Tuesday at about 10:30am, Ms Hellen Akia, the deceased’s wife stormed the barracks saying she had tried to reach her husband in vain, as his phone went unanswered.
Ms Alaso said some officers then responded by going to Kaweesi’s house but it was locked from inside and on peeping through the window, a lifeless body of Kaweesi laid on a mat soaked in a pool of blood.
She said immediately a team of police officers led by the district CID together with Scene of crime [SOCO] personnel visited the scene and documented the scene.
Alaso added that the on visiting the scene, a team of CID officers and scene of crime personnel, recovered an SMG rifle with 29 rounds of ammunition with its safety catch open and a pistol star with 14 rounds of ammunition and one in the chamber.
The deceased body is currently at Pallisa general hospital for a postmortem examination.
SP Umar Mugerwa, the District Police Commander (DPC), said the incident is shocking and urged fellow police officers to always share challenges with friends for possible solutions.
Similar cases
Several cases of suicide have been reported across the country over the past months, with victims aged between nine and 52. This is has also become common among law enforcement /security personnel.
On January 24, 2022 at about 4am, Corporal Drandi George a police officer attached to VIPPU shot himself dead inside his place of residence at Nsambya police barracks
Ato James Agwayi, 45, another officer also locked himself in his house at Mubende Police Barracks and shot himself in the head.
A Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier is currently fighting for his life in hospital after he was rescued from a house fire at Kavumba Village, Buwama Sub-county in a suspected suicide case.
