Uganda Police Force is investigating circumstances where a private security guard shot dead the Chairperson LCI who had reportedly developed a mental sickness and admitted at St Joseph’s Hospital in Kitgum District.

The Late, Quito Opira 53, a resident of Parakaka Village in Golo parish, Latanya Sub County in Pader District was reportedly shot in the chest by a guard attached to Ceturian Security Company on Thursday evening.

Aswa River regional Police spokesman, Mr Patrick Jimmy Okema, said the victim was admitted at the hospital on January 5, 2020 with malaria and high blood pressure but later became mentally unstable.

“It was [on Thursday] at around 1800hrs when he moved out of the ward, picked a stone in the hospital compound.  The security guards saw him and told him to drop the stone but he refused. They opened fire, unfortunately, the bullet hit him in the chest and he died instantly,” Mr Okema said on Friday.

According to other sources at the non-for-profit hospital, Opira had wandered from his ward towards the kitchen where some women were cooking and he reportedly started pelting them with stones prompting the apparently scared women to make alarms which attracted the guards.

Sources alleged that one of the guards ordered Opira to drop the stones he was holding in his hands but instead charged towards them. One of the guards fired two bullets in the air before aiming the third one at him.

Police said the two guards linked to the shooting have been detained at Kitgum Central Police Station pending further investigations.

Police identified them as Lawrence Elasu, 22, from Amuria District and Fred Hasahya, 24, from Butaleja District.

Both are residents of Parabongo Nyiki-Nyiki Cell in Pager Division, Kitgum municipality.