15 year old boy shot dead during police operation in Otuke

24 October 2026, 1:48 pm

By Winnie Auma

Police in Otuke District are investigating the alleged shooting to death of a 15 year old boy following an operation targeting suspected motorcycle thieves and robbers in Otuke Town Council.

The deceased has been identified as Okello Denis, a peasant and resident of Te-Oboke Cell, Oget Ward, Otuke Town Council. He reportedly died on Friday, October 23, 2026, at around 8pm.

According to North Kyoga Police spokesperson, SP Patrick Jimmy Okema, Police had received complaints from residents about increasing cases of motorcycle theft and robbery in the district, with intelligence pointing to a suspected criminal group allegedly known as the “Owuwuk Boys.”

Okema said an intelligence-led operation was conducted in Te-Oboke Cell, where officers were reportedly confronted by a group of people pelting them with stones from different directions.

He said police officers subsequently fired shots into the air, causing the group to disperse adding that police later received information that a person had died, with allegations that he had been shot during the operation.

The incident reportedly sparked unrest, with some residents allegedly pelting Otuke Central Police Station with stones and preventing officers from accessing the scene where the body was lying.

According to him, police have since accessed the scene and retrieved the body, which was initially taken to Orum Health Centre IV and was later transferred to Lira Regional Referral Hospital mortuary due to a lack of preservation facilities.

Okema says a postmortem examination is expected to establish the exact cause of death adding that the case was opened under reference number D.E.F 08/2026 to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.

He appealed to the bereaved family and the general public to remain calm as investigations continue because police are committed to pursuing the matter to its logical conclusion.

The exact circumstances surrounding the incident and the cause of death had not yet been established by the time of compiling this story.