Residents of Garissa town demonstrate following the shooting of Aden Mohamed, a 24-year-old taxi driver last Tuesday /STEPHEN ASTARIKO

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The Independent Policing Oversight Authority has appealed for calm in Garissa, saying the probe into the fatal shooting involving a police officer is at an advanced stage.

Aden Hassan, a 24-year-old taxi driver, was allegedly shot and killed by a police officer last Tuesday.

The oversight agency said in a statement that patience from the public was crucial for the smooth progress of ongoing investigations into the incident.

The agency said it had undertaken several actions, including attending the post-mortem examination, recording witness statements, obtaining police documents and securing critical exhibits.

Ipoa also said they have documented the crime scene, and recorded both the police and the damaged civilian motor vehicles.

The authority said they initiated the investigations after receiving official notification of the incident from the National Police Service, as required by law.

“Preliminary findings indicate that at approximately 2:20 am on the material day, the deceased responded to a distress call from a friend who had been arrested, during which his vehicle was damaged by officers from the Balambala Directorate of Criminal Investigations,” the statement said.

Ipoa said that when the deceased attempted to intervene, he suffered a fatal gunshot injury, adding that a post-mortem examination established the cause of death as a single gunshot wound to the head.

While Garissa town has remained tense over protests, local political leaders on Friday visited the policing oversight agency offices in Nairobi demanding to know how far the probe into fatal shooting had gone.

The politicians claimed a cover-up, alleging that the police facilitated the officer suspected to be involved to flee from Garissa to his hiding place.

Governor aspirant Mohamed Shidiye wondered how the officer alleged to have been involved in the shooting could have slipped out while he was with other officers during the incident.

“We are informed that the police facilitated this person to run away, he passed through several police barriers but managed to run away,” Shidiye said.

Taxi driver Hassan was fatally shot when he went to help his friend Abdi Mohamud who was being detained by the police at Modika, the two taxi drivers ply the Garissa routes. Mohamud fled the scene with handcuffs after his friend was fatally shot.

“This is not just about Aden. We recall many other cases in this region where young men have lost their lives under similar circumstances, yet no one has been held accountable. This pattern must come to an end,” Shidiye said.

The local leaders demanded immediate identification of the officer as well as production of the firearm used in the shooting. They have also asked for production of the duty roster for that particular day.

Dadaab parliamentary aspirant Ahmed Muhumed Abdi claimed there was bad blood between the police and Garissa community until the culprit was arrested.

“We say enough is enough to save the image of the police. That a particular officer must be arrested and arraigned in court as fast as possible,” he said.

On Thursday, several buses had their windows damaged at Madogoo after reports emerged that several boda boda operators in Garissa were injured and retaliated.

Police said criminal elements took advantage of the situation and looted businesses, injuring boda boda operators in the confusion.

On Friday, stakeholders, including ward representatives, religious leaders, local elders, and the county security committee, headed by the Garissa county commissioner, issued a press statement calling for peaceful coexistence.

“We are asking the religious leaders and imams to preach peace and use their platforms to ask residents to remain calm; we are assuring the public that no criminal will hide,” said Garissa county commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo.