The circumstances surrounding the killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif continue to get more dubious as investigative journalists unearth new details that deepen the mystery.
“The fatal shot that killed # arshadSharif was fired with precision through the rear mirror of the car, penetrated through the back of his head, and exited through the front side,” Kenyan investigative journalist Brian Obuya said on Twitter.He said the vehicle Sharif was travelling in was shot at nine times in total, with four bullets fired to the left and one deflating the right-side tyre, reported Dawn.
Obuya also earlier said the body of the slain journalist was found at Kenya’s Chiromo Mortuary, which was 78 km from where the police say the shooting happened. “According to new information, # ArshadSharif’s car was shot at nine times.”FOUR of those bullets to the left side of the vehicle. “One bullet deflated the right side tyre,” tweeted Obuya. Meanwhile, in a news story published by Nation Media Group, a senior investigative reporter said that the occupant in Sharif’s car shot at GSU officers, according to the claim made by the police, reported Dawn.
“The Nation, in an attempt to reconstruct the events leading to Sharif’s shooting, has established that the journalist and Mr. Kurram Ahmed spent Sunday afternoon at Ammodump@Kwenia, an entertainment complex that also has a shooting range and which is popular among Pakistani gun enthusiasts. It is located on a feeder road in Kamukuru, which is 85 kilometres south of Nairobi. Mr. Ahmed is from a family that was hosting Sharif in Westlands, Nairobi, and it appears that he has been in Kenya for a while, because he has a Kenya Revenue Authority Pin number for taxpayers. The Toyota Land Cruiser that the two were using that day is registered to Mr. Ahmed,” the report read.
It added, “It is believed that the two men left Kwenia for Nairobi at about 8 pm. When they got to the main road, they were stopped by GSU officers who, according to the police, were responding to reports that a stolen vehicle had been sighted in the area.”
Notably, the report noted contradictory versions of police that earlier claimed Sharif and his brother Kurram Ahmed defied orders at a checkpoint but later alleged Sharif’s brother “shot at” one officer and injured him, reported Dawn.
It quoted police as saying that the incident prompted them to shoot back. The report said, quoting an unknown police official, that “he was challenged to stop but he defied and opened fire at our officers, which triggered them to respond to the said vehicle as it sped towards the Nairobi direction.”
The publication also raised the question of why the police, who had their own vehicle at the roadblock, did not chase the Toyota Land Cruiser after its occupants allegedly shot at them, reported Dawn.
However, former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko defended Kenyan police, saying they should not be blamed for Sharif’s death. He claimed the police were ‘tricked’ into shooting the Pakistani national, thinking he was involved in vehicle theft, reported Dawn.