Three suspected gangsters were on Friday morning shot dead in Githurai after allegedly stealing a private vehicle in Kayole, Nairobi.
The three died during a 3:30am shoot-out with police officers on the Mwiki-Githurai 45 road.
One of the suspects escaped towards Mwiki with gunshot wounds, police said.
It is alleged the four stole a white Toyota Probox of registration plate KBZ 113S in Saika area in Kayole, Nairobi on Thursday night.
Police have since established that the vehicle belongs to one Francis Gatambi, a resident of Kayole.
“The owner was contacted, and he confirmed that the vehicle was missing from where he’d parked it on Thursday night,” a police report filed at the Githurai Mwiki Police Station under the OB Number 4/29/10/2021 says.
Authorities say the suspects had “tampered with the ignition, and used an improvised metallic rod to start the car”.
A home-made pistol was recovered in the vehicle after the shoot-out.
Police say the suspects defied stop orders on the Mwiki-Githurai road at 3am, prompting a chase and subsequent exchange of gunfire.
Bodies of the three suspected gangsters were moved to the City Mortuary. No identification documents were found on them, police said.
Ruiru Sub-County Directorate of Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO) Justus Ombati says a probe into the incident has been launched, with a search mounted for the suspect who escaped.
