A 23-year-old woman is receiving treatment after she was struck by a bullet during a violent robbery involving three suspected armed criminals and police officers in Maweni, Kisauni, Mombasa County.
The woman was among two people reportedly being robbed when officers responding to reports of attacks confronted the suspects in the early hours of Saturday, September 19.
Highlights
- Three suspected robbers allegedly attacked residents in Hodi Hodi.
- Police fired three rounds into the air as the suspects confronted them.
- A 23-year-old woman was later found to have a bullet lodged in her body.
- The suspects escaped on a motorcycle after stealing phones.
- Police are investigating both the robbery and the circumstances of the shooting.
Main Story
Police Respond to Early-Morning Robbery
Detectives in Mombasa are investigating a robbery that left a young woman with a bullet lodged in her body.
The incident happened at around 3:48 am on Saturday in Hodi Hodi, near Pastor Lai in the Maweni area of Kisauni.
Police officers on patrol had reportedly received information that a group of armed men was terrorising residents in the area.
The officers moved to the reported location, where they allegedly found three men attacking two people.
Suspects Confront Officers
According to police, one of the victims was seated on the road while the 23-year-old woman was kneeling nearby.
The suspects reportedly noticed the officers arriving on a motorcycle and moved towards them while carrying machetes.
The officers disembarked and fired three shots into the air in an attempt to scare off the group.
The suspects then reportedly mounted their motorcycle and escaped in the direction of Bamburi town.
Police said the gang had taken mobile phones from the two victims before fleeing.
Woman Found With Bullet Lodged in Body
Both victims were taken to Coast General Hospital for treatment.
The man reportedly suffered injuries to his knees after falling from his motorcycle during the confrontation with the suspects. He was treated and later released.
The woman, meanwhile, initially appeared to have suffered an injury to the lower section of her left buttock, with the wound suspected to have been caused by a sharp object.
An X-ray later revealed what appeared to be a bullet fragment lodged inside her body.
She remained in stable condition at the hospital, where doctors planned to conduct surgery to remove the foreign object.
Police Probe Shooting Circumstances
Investigators are now trying to establish exactly how the woman was struck by the bullet.
The circumstances are particularly unclear because police officers had fired shots into the air while attempting to disperse the suspects.
Authorities are investigating the robbery as well as the events surrounding the woman’s injury.
The motorcycle associated with the suspects was taken to Bamburi Police Station as detectives continued with the probe.
The investigation is expected to establish whether the bullet came from the officers’ firearms and how it ended up striking the woman.
As detectives piece together the events of the early-morning confrontation, the key question remains: how did a bullet fired during the police response end up inside an innocent victim?
