Fatal Shooting of Teenage Boy: Mistaken Identity Leads to Tragic Incident

A tragic incident unfolded when a teenage boy, who was on the verge of taking his O’ Level exams, was fatally shot in the head. The shooter, Humphrey Gara, mistakenly believed the boy to be an intruder at a house where the boy had previously worked. Gara was found guilty of culpable homicide but claimed he acted in self-defense.

Following a full trial presided over by High Court Judge Justice Cathrine Bhachi-Muzawazi, Gara has been sentenced to an effective 12 months in prison. Initially, he was handed a three-year sentence, but one year was suspended on the condition of good behavior. An additional year was suspended on the condition that he compensates the victim’s family with an agreed-upon amount.

The unfortunate incident occurred while Gara was at his mother-in-law’s house, where he fired multiple shots that resulted in the unarmed teenager’s death. Justice Bhachi-Muzawazi determined that the force used was disproportionate to any perceived attack, if one had indeed occurred.

The judge stated, “In our reasoning, a gun is a lethal weapon matched only to another gun or modern weaponry. In that regard, we made a finding that by discharging five bullets into the deceased’s head, the accused exceeded any possible limit of self-defense, if any, and displayed recklessness and negligence in causing the death of the victim.”

Furthermore, the judge noted Gara’s lack of remorse, as he failed to provide assistance during the teenager’s funeral. “From the inquiry, it was evident that he never made any meaningful efforts to engage or compensate the deceased’s family even three years after committing the offense. Representatives of both families should have been involved to facilitate traditional compensation or restorative justice mechanisms. Additionally, the severity of the victim’s injuries, with several wounds resembling bullet entry points on his chest and one on his forehead, further aggravates the situation.”