Police officer commits suicide in Meru

By Peter Ochieng

A junior police officer attached to the Ngusishi police post in Buuri, Meru County has committed suicide.

The officer, who has since been identified as corporal Simon Gitonga reportedly shot himself dead inside his house at the station’s compound, at around 3am on Wednesday morning.

According to a police report, he used the AK47 rifle assigned to him to take his life. The officer was living alone.

“The bullet penetrated via the base of the chin exiting at the forehead," reads the police report.

Some of his colleagues said they heard gunshots from the house he lived. When they checked, they discovered that he had used his AK47 rifle to shoot himself in the chin.

A suicide note found in the house suggested that he was having family issues, connected to financial matters.

The body was moved to the mortuary awaiting postmortem, and further investigations.