Authorities in Unity State say a captain at the police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was accidentally shot dead in Bentiu Town on Friday.
The police say the suspect, identified as Tor Monyang, had intended to kill the governor’s protocol officer, Jikany Wurou in the suspected revenge-related attack. But Wurou survived with gunshot wounds.
In an interview with Radio Tamazuj on Sunday, the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department in Unity State Martin Mayik confirmed the incident and said the two men were at a tea place in Bentiu market on Friday night when they were shot at.
“The police captain killed was from police CID and he was our information technology (IT) officer and his name is Tut Tilchot Yak from Mayom County,” he said.
Mayik noted that the victim was killed by mistake.
“He did not mean to kill Tut Tilchot but Tut Tilchot was sitting together in a place of tea with Jikany Wurou, the governor’s protocol officer. The assailant entered the shop and found these people were sipping tea and the two were sitting near each other,” he narrated. “He immediately started shooting until he injured the victim, whom he wanted to kill and instead killed the other one with a stray bullet and managed to escape.”
Mayik revealed that the suspect is at large but a manhunt has been launched.
“He appeared at the border yesterday, and we sent a pickup mounted with our security personnel to apprehend him. But still, no report has come to us from there. We are waiting for the report and we will still bring him back even if he escapes to Khartoum,” he added.
According to Mayik, the injured officer is now receiving treatment at the Bentiu State hospital and was targeted over the death of the assailant’s brother.
An eyewitness at the scene, Yai Dol, said, “The intention of the attacker was not to kill the police captain because he intended to kill the governor’s protocol officer, Jikany Wurou. He shot him with four bullets, but stray bullets went and killed Tut Tilchot.”