Police in Juba are investigating a series of incidents that resulted in the deaths of three individuals during the 12th Independence Day celebration in South Sudan’s capital.

Brigadier James Dak Karlo, Deputy Spokesperson of the South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS), provided details to Radio Tamazuj on Monday regarding the incidents.

He said the first incident involved a young man who allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend in Juba’s Hai Kator residential area on Monday morning. The suspect, identified as James Kiri Sebit, was employed at the Central Equatoria State Ministry of Housing.

According to Brigadier James Dak, the couple had a dispute that escalated, leading the boyfriend to fatally shoot his 20-year-old girlfriend before turning the gun on himself. The police have confiscated the pistol used in the incident, and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is currently handling the case.

“A young man had a dispute with his girlfriend in an area known as Kator, also referred to as Tokyo residential area, this morning. Following the dispute, he shot the woman and later took his own life using the same firearm,” explained Dak.

The second incident, he said, involved the death of an individual on Sunday night after a grenade exploded in the Jebel Lemun graveyard. The deceased was accompanied by two other individuals at 8 pm when the explosion occurred, resulting in the immediate fatality. The motive behind their possession of the grenade at a graveyard during nighttime remains unclear. Gen. Dak Carlos stated that an investigation had been initiated by the Eastern Police division in Gumbo.

“The incident took place at 8:00 PM near Jebel Lemun graveyard. The deceased individual was identified as Garage Yak, aged 20. The other two individuals involved are Jendia Marial and Peter Garang Ngok,” said Dak.

The case is now being handled by the criminal court under procedural section 59 at the Northern Police Division in Gumbo.