The Uganda Police Force has opened investigations into the shooting of a man in Bukwo District after an arrest operation turned violent, warning members of the public against confronting or attempting to disarm armed police officers carrying out lawful duties.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at about 1:00pm in Chemusebe Village, Kapchemoken Parish, Brim Sub County, Bukwo District.
According to Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke, preliminary investigations indicate that officers from Giriki Police Station in neighbouring Kween District travelled to Bukwo to arrest a suspect.
The officers reportedly coordinated with their counterparts at Riwo Sub County Police Station before proceeding to Brim Sub County, accompanied by an officer familiar with the area.
Police said the officers later found the suspect at Chemusebe Trading Centre washing a motorcycle near a stream. Upon seeing the officers, the suspect allegedly abandoned the motorcycle and fled, prompting the officers to impound it.
The situation reportedly escalated when the officers began engaging area leaders and relatives who were claiming ownership of the motorcycle.
Police said the deceased, identified as Mutakan, then approached the officers while allegedly armed with a panga and stones.
“He allegedly threatened the officers, struck one of them with a stone and continued advancing despite attempts by his mother and other people at the scene to restrain him,” Rusoke said.
According to the preliminary police account, officers fired warning shots in an attempt to deter the alleged attack, but Mutakan reportedly continued advancing before he was shot.
He was rushed to Bukwo General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police, however, said the circumstances surrounding the shooting have not yet been conclusively established, with four people, including the officers involved in the operation, currently being questioned.
“The investigation will establish the circumstances under which the firearms were discharged and whether the force used was lawful, necessary and proportionate,” Rusoke said.
The Police Force said the investigation will determine what exactly happened before the firearm was discharged and whether the officers acted within the law.
While investigations into the Bukwo incident continue, Police have issued a strong warning against attacks on officers during operations, saying confrontations can quickly put the lives of suspects, officers and bystanders at risk.
“Members of the public are strongly cautioned against attacking, threatening, confronting or attempting to disarm police officers who are carrying out lawful duties,” Rusoke said.
He said members of the public should instead remain calm during police operations, comply with lawful instructions and use established legal and administrative channels to challenge police conduct.
The warning comes against the background of previous incidents in which police officers have been killed after arrest operations escalated into confrontations with members of the public.
In April 2025, Police Constable Suleiman Chemonges was killed by a mob while deployed to provide security at a burial in Ibanda District.
Another officer, Police Constable John Bosco Naturinda, was killed on May 18, 2025, after an arrest operation in Tecik Village, Ngai Sub County, Oyam District, reportedly descended into mob violence.
Naturinda and two colleagues had gone to arrest a suspect when members of the community allegedly intervened and attempted to disarm the officers. During the ensuing confrontation, a civilian was fatally injured, after which the officers were attacked by a mob. Naturinda was killed, while his two colleagues sustained injuries.
Police said such incidents demonstrate the dangers posed by mob attacks and confrontations with armed officers.
“No individual or group should take the law into their own hands,” Rusoke said.
At the same time, Police said their warning against attacks on officers should not be interpreted as shielding officers from accountability.
“The Uganda Police Force remains committed to ensuring that all allegations of unlawful conduct by its officers are investigated and that officers operate within the law, while equally protecting them from unlawful attacks in the course of performing their duties,” Rusoke said.
The investigation into the Bukwo shooting is expected to establish the full sequence of events and determine whether the force used by the officers was justified under the circumstances.
Police have urged residents to exercise restraint and allow the ongoing investigation to establish the facts surrounding the death.
