Bombo shooting

Bombo shooting
Location Bombo, Uganda
Date March 9, 2013
12:12 a.m.
Attack type
 Mass murder
Weapons AK-47
Deaths 10
Non-fatal injuries
 3
Perpetrator Patrick Okot Odoch

The Bombo shooting was a mass murder that occurred in Bombo, Uganda on March 9, 2013, when UPDF private Patrick Okot Odoch killed ten people and wounded at least two others in a bar with an AK-47, before fleeing. He was arrested in Oyam District ten days later and charged with murder and attempted murder.[1] On June 4 he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 90 years in prison.[2]

Background

Army deserters, thieves and gunmen attacked Mbuya barracks on March 5 to steal arms. Odoch had previously been arrested for consuming bhang[3] Simon Peter Otenyan killed two colleagues at Bombo barracks on February 4.[4]

In the night of March 6, Odoch, a private attached to Bombo Barracks, wanted to rape Grace Chandiru,[5] 14-year-old daughter of Sgt Onesmus Odule and his wife Florence at the barracks. He fled when she raised alarm. The girl's parents reported the incident to police on March 7. Odoch promised revenge. Two days prior to the shooting Odoch entered the bar, locked the doors, before opening them again and leaving, probably planning his shooting.[6]

Odoch and a colleague entered the bar with Adules present at 9pm on March 8, the owner told him to drink somewhere else, referring him to an incident during the previous night.[7]

Shooting

During the night of March 8, Odoch was on duty at the 23rd Air Defence Regiment.[8] He left his post armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and 30 rounds of ammunition and arrived at Yumbe boys' bar in Pakele on March 9 at 12:12am.[7] Upon entering he opened fire on the people present, killing Onesmus Odule, his wife Florence, the owner of the bar Amina Aseru, as well as four other soldiers and two civilians, while two people were wounded.[6]

Odoch then left and went towards Gogonya, 1.5km away from the bar, where he killed another person. Before finally fleeing he also robbed Halima Lukiya, stealing her hand bag, a mobile phone, and 2000 USh.[9][10]

Nine of his victims died on the spot, while David Komakech died one hour later from excessive loss of blood.[11] There were 23 spent rounds recovered by police from the crime scene.[12]

Victims

  • Sgt. Onesmus Odule
  • Florence Akullu, wife of Onesmus Odule
  • Sarah Akole
  • Amina Aseru, the bar owner
  • Pte. Teddy Namatovu
  • Sgt. Joel Obote
  • Wilber Odiba
  • Cpl. Isaac Osere
  • David Komakech
  • Warrant Officer Francis Musana

Wounded were Joyce Asiyo, 44, and Ismail Akbar, 14, son of Amina Aseru.[13] Reportedly Sgt. Francis Ogugu was also injured.[14]

After the shooting the army offered every family of the victims 2,150,000 million shillings as condolence and for burial arrangements, as well as coffins and transportation of the dead to their ancestral homes.[13]

Manhunt and arrest

Following the shooting security measures were tightened, and all army deserters in the area were ordered to leave, or they would risk arrest. Also a night curfew was imposed, forcing all businesses to close at 10pm, and limiting movement from 11pm onward.[15][16]

Joint forces of police and army searched for Odoch[12] and laid traps to capture him.[15] The search operations resulted in the finding of Odoch's uniform on March 10,[12] and on March 14 of the rifle used in the shooting, which was recovered near a factory in Nakatonya Village in Nyimbwa Sub-county and was still loaded with three rounds.[12]

When Odoch called his colleagues to ask for financial help, investigators managed to track his mobile phone. He was arrested between March 18 and March 19 at Abere Trading Centre in Ngai Sub-county in Oyam District, brought to the army barracks in Lira and charged with murder, attempted murder, misuse of a firearm, aggravated robbery,[17] and failing to protect war materials,[10] before being transferred back to Bombo, where he was held to be court-martialed in a public trial.[18]

After denying all charges raised against him Odoch was put in remand at Makindye Military Prison until April 17.[10] Preliminary hearings for the case began on April 22 at Bombo Town Health Centre.[19][20] The maximum punishment Odoch is facing for the crime is a death sentence.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Soldier arrested over Bombo massacre, New Vision (March 20, 2013)
  2. ↑ Bombo killer soldier gets 90-year jail sentence, New Vision (June 4, 2013)
  3. ↑ Kulayigye Says Bombo Shooting Not Related To Mbuya Attack, Red Pepper (March 9, 2013)
  4. ↑ UPDF Soldier On the Run After Killing 2 Colleagues, ugandaradionetwork.com (February 8, 2013)
  5. ↑ Residents Welcome Arrest of Killer Soldier, ugandaradionetwork.com (March 20, 2013)
  6. 1 2 Bombo picks the pieces after deadly gun attack, The Observer (March 13, 2013)
  7. 1 2 Bombo killer soldier sought 'revenge', New Vision (March 11, 2013)
  8. ↑ Army Speaks Out On Bombo Shootings, chimpreports.com (March 9, 2013)
  9. ↑ Mbuya attackers linked to rebels, The Observer (March 11, 2013)
  10. 1 2 3 Bombo shooting: UPDF soldier remanded over murder, Daily Monitor (March 27, 2013)
  11. ↑ Suspected UPDF Officer Shoots 10 People Dead in Bombo, ugandaradionetwork.com (March 9, 2013)
  12. 1 2 3 4 Gun used in Bombo killing recovered, Daily Monitor (March 17, 2013)
  13. 1 2 Bombo Shooting Survivors Out Of Danger, ugandaradionetwork.com (March 12, 2013)
  14. ↑ Court sends UPDF soldier on remand over Bombo shooting, Daily Monitor (March 29, 2013)
  15. 1 2 Bombo barracks issues tight security guidelines, Daily Monitor (March 11, 2013)
  16. ↑ Bombo Shootings: Army Imposes Night Curfew, ugandaradionetwork.com (March 11)
  17. ↑ Bombo shootings: Suspected killer arrested in Oyam, Daily Monitor (March 19, 2013)
  18. ↑ Army set to hold public trial for Bombo suspect, Daily Monitor (March 21, 2013)
  19. ↑ Bombo killer soldier to face public Trial, Simba Radio (April 17, 2013)
  20. ↑ Bombo Shootings Suspect’s Trial Begins, chimpreports.com (April 22, 2013)
  21. ↑ Court: UPDF A Peoples's Army, Takes Justice To People, nbs.ug (April 18, 2013)

External links

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