Authorities in Rumbek Lakes State say one of their officer shot and killed a schoolgirl, and injured two others in Maper town of Rumbek North County over the weekend. Police say that the shooting was an accident and that the officer responsible had intended to force the driver to stop. but the stray bullet hit the girl in the vehicle instead.
Major Elijah Mabor Makuach is the police spokesperson in Rumbek. He says the lady and the other family members were traveling in a car from Aweil to Juba but the driver missed the direction and drove to Rumbek North where the girl got killed. The deceased identified as Akon Deng Kuac was hit by a strayed bullet.
“The vehicle was coming on high speed and couldn’t stop anywhere until bypassed Maper, and you know that Maper area has issues with the Luac-Jiang and Pakaam. So, the car triggered fear among the people and the captain who was there took the car and pursue it,” said Mabor.
He says the officer thought the car be might belong to a group of suspected criminals that smuggled ammunition to armed local youth in the area.
“This case wasn’t the intention and it’s not about insecurity starting again in Lakes State. Lakes State is still calm and even now you can move at night and the daytime the way you want it and nothing can happen to you. This case is just an incident and it wasn’t intended.”
He says the captain and the driver have been detained in Rumbek following the incident and the deceased’s body and the other two that were injured were flown back to Aweil, Northern Bahr El Ghazal State on Sunday.
Last month armed youth from Warrap State and Rumbek North clashed of which several houses were burnt in a cattle raiding attack.