A sergeant of police, Matur Majook Makuer, shot two teenage girls in Dhie cattle camp in Lakes State’s Rumbek Central County in the wee hours of Thursday.
The police spokesperson in Lakes State, Major Elijah Mabor Makuac, told Radio Tamazuj Thursday that one of the girls succumbed to a bullet wound but that the other is in critical condition but receiving treatment at the Rumbek State Hospital.
He said that Sergeant Majook went to Dhie cattle camp for a visit but that in the night he heard people crying and thought there was an attack by rustlers. Unbeknownst to him, the brothers of the two girls had taken them to the bush to beat them as a punishment.
“He (policeman) went to visit his family in the cattle camp yesterday (Thursday) and was about to spend the night there but unfortunately, some young girls were taken by their brothers to the bush and they were tortured. Lately, there have been rumors and fears that armed criminals from neighboring Panyijar County in Unity State are at large and want to rustle cattle so everybody was living in fear,” he explained. “Unfortunately, the policeman heard the girls screaming in the bushes and automatically assumed they had been captured by criminals. So, he stealthily went in the direction of the screams. The two girls were released by their brothers who took another route back to the cattle camp. Regrettably, the policeman who failed to identify the girls in the dark, fired at them thinking they were criminals.”
“One of the young girls died and the other one who was wounded was evacuated to Rumbek State Hospital,” Maj. Mabor added.
He said that the policeman fled after realizing that he had shot at innocent girls.
“I am appealing to the family of the deceased to to remain calm because according to the report we received, it was not premeditated murder but rather accidental and the policeman was doing it in good faith,” Mabor stated. “I am urging the perpetrator to report immediately so that the matter is resolved amicably in a court of law. Also, no one should take the law into their hands, especially the relatives of the victims.”
Meanwhile, the medical director of Rumbek State Hospital, Dr. Terran Madit Terran, confirmed that the wounded girl is being treated at the facility.
“On Thursday morning we received information that there were some gunshots and casualties from one of the cattle camps around Rumbek Central County where two victims, girls aged around 12 and 13, were shot,” he clarified. Unfortunately, one of the girls passed away immediately and the other one was brought to hospital. I do not know exactly what happened but the body of the late was brought to the mortuary and upon examination, it was found that there were two wounds, the entry was at the back and the exit point of the bullet was the abdomen.”
“The second victim who was injured on the left side of the chest is alive and we immediately took her to the theater and introduced a chest tube, cleaned the wound and she is now fairly stable,” Dr. Madit said.