NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An Associated Press photographer captured the shooting of a civilian by a Kenyan police officer in the head at close range on Tuesday, during the latest protest against the country’s deadly and pervasive issue of police brutality.
It happened on one of Nairobi’s busiest streets, again outraging many Kenyans, who have long witnessed officers shooting or beating protesters and others. Tuesday’s shooting was rare because the officer fired in full view of journalists.
The AP is publishing the photos despite their graphic nature because they show evidence of a police shooting of a civilian.
The photos show the sequence of events
The man who was shot appeared to be a vendor, not a protester — he fell holding a packet of face masks he was selling.
The photos show officers jumping off a vehicle, with guns.
An officer wearing a face mask fires his gun in the direction of protesters, who are outside the frame of the photo.
The same officer and a colleague run over to the vendor. It’s not clear why they approached him, guns drawn, or what was said.
The officers push at the man, who raises his hands toward his face.
As he is shoved and moves away, the man glances back. The officer raises his weapon and shoots at him. The man crumples to the sidewalk.
After the shooting, the officer and his colleague walk away.
The man was being treated at a Nairobi hospital
The man survived, according to a spokesperson at the Nairobi hospital where he and several others hurt during the protest were taken.
He was not the only one with a gunshot wound, but he quickly came to represent them all.
A senior health ministry official, Patrick Amoth, told local media later Tuesday that the man — still unidentified — was in surgery, with a bed on standby in intensive care.
Kenya has a history of killings during protests
For decades, Kenya’s police officers have been accused of extrajudicial killings during protests or with the aim of silencing critics. Watchdog groups in Nairobi keep tallies. Multiple officials have vowed to rein it in.
Tuesday’s protest was over the death in police custody earlier this month of a blogger who a senior police official had accused of defamation.
Later Tuesday, as questions grew about the shooting — “Killer police,” one Nairobi headline read — police expressed concern. In a statement, they said the officer had been arrested. Police did not name him, but outraged Kenyans zoomed in on his uniform.
Kenyan President William Ruto, who has promised to halt police brutality, did not immediately comment. The next protest against police abuses is scheduled for June 24.
