A Form Four student at Maseno National School died from a gunshot wound in what police are treating as an apparent suicide after allegedly using his father’s service pistol from their home in Homa Bay County.
His family reportedly woke up to find him lying in a pool of blood following the shooting incident on Monday.
According to police, the shooting occurred at about 4 a.m. on Monday at the basketball court of a polytechnic in Rachuonyo North Sub-County.
Police identified the deceased as a 17-year-old boy who was found lying face down in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to the left side of his head, with the bullet exiting through the right side.
Police visited the scene, where they recovered a Ceska pistol loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition beside the body.
Police said the weapon belonged to the boy’s father, who is a police officer stationed in the area.
Also recovered were a mobile phone and a spent 9mm cartridge.
Preliminary investigations, according to police, indicate that the firearm and mobile phone belonged to the deceased’s father.
According to Rachuonyo North Sub-County Police Commander Peter Wallah, preliminary investigations suggest the incident may have followed a disagreement at home over a mobile phone.
Wallah said the student's mother had reportedly confiscated the phone after learning that his academic performance had declined.
Investigators believe the teenager may have entered his father’s bedroom while the officer was in the bathroom and left with both the firearm and the mobile phone.
Police said a gunshot was later heard in the neighbourhood, prompting a search that led to the discovery of the student’s body at the polytechnic grounds.
The preliminary investigation further indicated that the deceased had reportedly disagreed with his parents over the confiscated mobile phone, and investigators are examining whether the dispute may have contributed to the incident.
Crime scene investigators processed and documented the scene before the body was moved to Rachuonyo South Mortuary, where it awaits a post-mortem examination.
Police said they had opened an inquest to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death.
Suicide cases have been on the rise amid efforts to address the trend. Most victims are men.
