Rubirizi District, Uganda – Police in Rubirizi District are investigating an incident that occurred on April 7, 2025, at approximately 4:00 PM in Nyakagyezi II Cell, along the Katerera-Kyambura Road, where a police officer was wounded during an altercation with suspected thieves.
According to SSP Marcial Tumusiime, the Greater Bushenyi Regional Police spokesperson, the injured officer has been identified as PTE Yoakim Onyango, with service number RA 234230. He is attached to the Kanywero Army Detachment within the 209 Battalion.
The incident unfolded following a routine patrol conducted on April 6, 2025, by ASP Namudoola Oliver, the Officer in Charge (OC) of Katerera Police Station, along with a joint team of police and Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) officers in Katerera Town Council.
While patrolling in Nyakagyezi II Cell, the team, traveling in a vehicle with registration number UBN 103V WISH, encountered another vehicle with similar registration details parked in the vicinity.
SSP Tumusiime stated that the officers stopped to inquire about the occupants of the parked vehicle. During this interaction, the suspects allegedly discharged a firearm, injuring PTE Onyango in the left leg, before quickly fleeing the scene in their vehicle.
In response, the patrol team took action to deflate the tires of the suspects’ vehicle. The wounded officer received immediate first aid at a nearby drug shop.
A team of investigators subsequently visited the crime scene to gather evidence. While the suspects remain unidentified, police recovered six empty cartridges at the location, one of which is believed to have been fired by the assailants. The firearm used in the attack has not yet been recovered.
Investigations into the incident are currently ongoing, and statements have been recorded from the officers who were part of the patrol team at the time of the attack.
