A Kenyan police officer has been arrested after shooting an unarmed man in the head during anti-police brutality protests in central Nairobi on Tuesday.
The incident, captured in a series of photos by an AP photographer, shows two officers confronting the man, later identified as 22-year-old street vendor Boniface Kariuki. One officer then shoots Kariuki at close range before both walk away. Kariuki, who was selling face masks, collapsed to the ground bleeding but survived. He is now in intensive care after undergoing surgery.
The shooting happened in full view of journalists and sparked renewed outrage in a country long plagued by reports of police violence and extrajudicial killings.
Kariuki’s father, Jonah, called for the officer to face full accountability, saying the bullet pierced just above his son’s ear.
The protests in Nairobi and Mombasa were in response to the earlier death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody after being accused of defamation by a senior officer.
President William Ruto, who has pledged to end police abuse, has not commented on the incident. Another round of demonstrations is planned for June 24.