The Bombo shooting was a

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

that occurred in

Bombo Bombo may refer to: Music *Bombo (musical), ''Bombo'' (musical), a 1921 Broadway production starring Al Jolson *Bombo (song), "Bombo" (song), by Norwegian singer Adelén *Bombo criollo or just bombo, a family of Latin American drums *Bombo legüer ...

, Uganda on 9 March 2013. The perpetrator, 30-year-old Patrick Okot Odoch, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the Uganda People's Defence Force, shot and killed nine people in a bar and, while fleeing, a tenth victim. Odoch fled and was arrested ten days later, and was charged with murder and

attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ye ...

. On 4 June, Odoch was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 90 years

imprisonment Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...

Background

On 5 March 2013, a combined group of army deserters and assorted armed criminals attacked the Mbuya barracks belonging to the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) to steal the weapons located there. Patrick Okot Odoch, a

in the UPDF who had a history of poor behavior and previously had been arrested for consuming bhang, was attached to the nearby Bombo barracks. Inspired by the chaos at the Mbuya barracks, on the following night of 6 March, Odoch had wanted to rape Grace Chandiru, the 14-year-old daughter of his commander,

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

Onesmus Odule. Odoch saw Grace at the Yumbe Boys' Bar in Pakele, a bar frequented by local military personnel and their families, and attempted to rape her. Odoch fled when Grace raised alarm, prompting her father Sergeant Odule to report the incident to police on the next day, 7 March, for which Odoch promised revenge. Odoch entered the bar, locked the doors, before opening them again and leaving, probably planning his shooting.Bombo picks the pieces after deadly gun attack
'' The Observer'' (March 13, 2013) Odoch entered the bar again the next day at 9p.m. while the Odules were present, this time with a colleague, however the owner told him to drink somewhere else, referring him to the incident that occurred on 7 March.Bombo killer soldier sought 'revenge'
, ''

New Vision The ''New Vision'' is a Ugandan English-language newspaper published daily in print form and online. Overview ''New Vision'' is one of two main national English-language newspapers in Uganda, the other being the ''Daily Monitor''. It is publi ...

'' (March 11, 2013)

Shooting

During the night of 8 March, while Odoch was on duty as part of the 23rd Air Defence Regiment, he deserted his post armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and 30 rounds of

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

. Upon entering the bar on 9 March at 12:12am, Odoch opened fire on the people present, killing Sergeant Odule, his wife Florence, the owner of the bar Amina Aseru, as well as four other soldiers and two civilians, while two people were wounded. Odoch then left and went towards Gogonya, about a mile (1.5 km) from the bar, where he killed another person. Before finally fleeing he also

robbed Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

Halima Lukiya, stealing her hand bag, a mobile phone, and USh in cash.Bombo shooting: UPDF soldier remanded over murder
''

Daily Monitor The ''Daily Monitor'' is a Ugandan independent daily newspaper. Its name is shared by the ''Saturday Monitor'' and ''Sunday Monitor'', which are also published by Monitor Publications Limited. ''Daily Monitor'' averaged a daily circulation of 24,2 ...

'' (March 27, 2013) Nine of his victims died on the spot, while David Komakech died one hour later from excessive loss of blood. There were 23 spent rounds recovered by police from the crime scene.Gun used in Bombo killing recovered
''

'' (March 17, 2013)

Victims

Wounded were Joyce Asiyo, 44, and Ismail Akbar, 14, son of Amina Aseru.Bombo Shooting Survivors Out Of Danger
'' ugandaradionetwork.com'' (March 12, 2013) Reportedly Sgt. Francis Ogugu was also injured. After the shooting the army offered every family of the victims in condolence and for burial arrangements, as well as coffins and transportation of the dead to their ancestral homes.

Arrest and conviction

Following the shooting, security measures were tightened, and all army deserters in the area were ordered to leave, or they would risk arrest. Also a night curfew was imposed, forcing all businesses to close at 10pm, and limiting movement from 11pm onward.Bombo barracks issues tight security guidelines
''

'' (March 11, 2013) Joint forces of the police and the army searched for Odoch, and laid traps to capture him. The search operations resulted in the finding of Odoch's uniform on 10 March, and on 14 March the rifle used in the shooting, which was recovered near a factory in Nakatonya Village in Nyimbwa Sub-county and was still loaded with three rounds. When Odoch called his colleagues to ask for financial help, investigators managed to track his mobile phone. He was arrested between 18 and 19 March at Abere Trading Centre in Ngai Sub-county in Oyam District, brought to the army barracks in

Lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...

and charged with murder,

, misuse of a

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

aggravated robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

, and failing to protect war materials, before being transferred back to Bombo, where he was held to be

court-martialed A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

in a public trial. After denying all charges raised against him, Odoch was put in remand at

Makindye Makindye is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's largest city and capital. The name also refers to the neighborhood that sits on that hill. Makindye is also the seat of Makindye Division, one of the five administrative zones of the city of Kampala. Loca ...

Military Prison until 17 April. Preliminary hearings for the case began on 22 April at Bombo Town Health Centre. The maximum punishment Odoch is facing for the crime is a death sentence.Court: UPDF A Peoples's Army, Takes Justice To People
'' nbs.ug'' (April 18, 2013)

References

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External links

Bombo killings: Four testify against soldier
''

'' (April 23, 2013)
Bombo shooting: Army court denies soldier bail
''

'' (April 24, 2013)
Bombo killings: Court adjourns public hearing
''

'' (April 26, 2013)
Bombo killer faces 12 witnesses
'' The Observer'' (April 26, 2013)
UPDF soldier on trial for killing 10 people
''