The Rwizi Regional Police Commander (RPC), SSP Alfred Bangambaki, narrowly escaped a deadly attack on Sunday morning after machete-wielding thugs ambushed him at his home in Mbarara City, leaving one attacker fatally shot and others on the run.
The incident occurred at around dawn in Mbaguta Cell, Ruhaaro Ward, when SSP Bangambaki and his colleague, Areba Munda, arrived at the officer’s residence. Before they could park, two men armed with pangas emerged from the darkness and launched a swift, violent assault, hacking at the vehicle with force.
The attackers shattered the car windows, injuring Munda, who sustained deep facial cuts from flying glass. Amid the chaos, SSP Bangambaki managed to draw his firearm, shooting one of the assailants dead while the others fled on a waiting motorcycle.
Moments later, police reinforcements sealed off the area as a manhunt was launched for the fleeing suspects.
Later that morning, a team led by Mbarara City Division DPC, SP Kenneth Gumusiriza Kabwigo, visited the crime scene and transported the deceased attacker’s body to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem.
Police recovered several items from the fallen suspect, including a panga, a mobile phone, and an unspecified amount of cash, which they say will be vital in tracing the remaining attackers and establishing their motives.
Authorities are now investigating whether the assault was an attempted assassination, a robbery gone wrong, or part of a growing wave of targeted attacks on security officers in the region.
