Inquest into Rex Masai's death resumes as crime scene investigator confirms police fired live bullets
Njihia said a damaged bullet was recovered from the scene and forwarded for ballistic analysis.
A Nairobi court on Wednesday resumed the inquest of Rex Masai, who was shot dead in June 2024 during anti-government protests.
Crime Scene Investigator Paul Njihia took the stand as the first witness and told the court that police opened fire along Mama Ngina Street, which he demonstrated through photographic evidence and a sketch of how the shooting unfolded.
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Njihia said a damaged bullet was recovered from the scene and forwarded for ballistic analysis.
"In a report dated August 8, 2024, it confirmed the bullet was live," he said.
He also testified that blood swabs collected at the scene matched the DNA of the late Masai, confirming he was shot during the protests.
At the same time, Police Constable Isaiah Murangeri, who appeared in court for a second time, maintained that he was deployed at the KICC on the day of the shooting and he never moved.
However, prosecution presented photos allegedly showing him elsewhere in the protests, claims he strongly denied, saying the person in the images was not him.
When pressed on whether he used his teargas launcher, Murangeri told the court he did not fire at the deceased. He also stated that he never received any instructions from the Nairobi County Commander on that day.
The prosecution made an application for the police arms movement record to be produced in court and for officers to present themselves to IPOA for investigations.
Lawyers representing the family of Masai said certified arms movement records exist and should be treated as original documentation.
Masai's death sparked public outrage and calls for police accountability. The inquest seeks to establish whether the young man was killed by live police fire, and if so, who was responsible.
Presiding Magistrate Geoffrey Onsaringo directed that all officers yet to testify avail themselves to IPOA and ordered the arms movement records to be handed over to the prosecution.
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