A Kenyan police officer has been arrested over the shooting of an unarmed civilian on Tuesday during protests against pervasive police brutality and extrajudicial killings.<\/p>\n
It happened on one of Nairobi’s busiest streets, again outraging many Kenyans, who have long witnessed officers shooting or beating protesters and others.<\/p>\n
A series of images taken by an Associated Press photographer show the moments leading up to the shooting, which was rare because the officer fired in full view of journalists.<\/p>\n
Photos show two policemen run over to the man, their guns drawn.<\/p>\n
It is not clear why they did this or what was said, but one of the officers then shoots the man in the head at close range.<\/p>\n
The man, later identified as Boniface Kariuki, then fell to the ground bleeding heavily, still holding a packet of face masks he was selling.<\/p>\n
As he collapsed, the policemen walk away.<\/p>\n
Miraculously, Kariuki survived, but has undergone surgery and is currently in intensive care in hospital.<\/p>\n
His father, Jonah Kariuki, told journalists on Wednesday that the bullet went through his son\u2019s head, just above the ear, but that the operation had been \u201csuccessful\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said his 22-year-old son is a hawker like him.<\/p>\n
Kariuki senior has demanded accountability for the incident, saying the officer who shot Boniface should take \u201cindividual responsibility\u201d for his actions.<\/p>\n
The officer has since been arrested<\/p>\n
For decades, Kenya’s policemen have been accused of extrajudicial killings during protests or with the aim of silencing critics.<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s protests in Nairobi and Mombasa were over the death in police custody earlier this month of a blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang, who was accused by a senior police official of defamation.<\/p>\n
Kenyan President William Ruto, who has promised to halt police brutality, did not immediately comment.<\/p>\n
The next protest against alleged police abuse is scheduled for 24 June.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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