The Bombo shooting was a

mass murder Mass murder is the violent crime of murder, killing a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more ...

that occurred in Bombo,

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

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 recorded ...

in the

Uganda People's Defence Force The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), previously known as the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. From 2007 to 2011, the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the UPDF had a total strength of 40,000–4 ...

, 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 seve ...

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

imprisonment Imprisonment or incarceration 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 considered " false imprisonment". Impri ...

Background

On 5 March 2013, a combined group of army deserters and assorted armed criminals attacked the Mbuya barracks belonging to the

(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 Bhang (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Bhāṅg'') is an Cannabis edible, edible preparation made from the leaves of the Cannabis (drug), cannabis plant originating from the Indian subcontinent. ''Cannabis sativa'' ...

, 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 Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

Grace Chandiru, the 14-year-old daughter of his commander,

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

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 ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' (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 daily newspaper. It was established in its current form in 1986 by the Government of Uganda. It is the flagship newspaper of the state-owned Vision Group, a multimedia conglomerate. Along with ...

'' (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 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...

assault rifle An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, intermediate-rifle cartridge and a Magazine (firearms), detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer '' ...

and 30 rounds of

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

. 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 use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

Halima Lukiya, stealing her hand bag, a

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

, and USh in cash.Bombo shooting: UPDF soldier remanded over murder
, ''

Daily Monitor The ''Daily Monitor'' is an independent daily newspaper in Uganda. Launched in 1992 as ''The Monitor'', it established itself as a leading voice critical of the government and is one of the two largest national newspapers, alongside the state-ow ...

'' (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 Oyam District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like most Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Oyam, where the district headquarters are located. Location Oyam District is bordered by Gulu District to the north, Pader Distr ...

, brought to the army barracks in

Lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

and charged with murder,

, misuse of a

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

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

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

court-martialed A 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 members of the mili ...

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. Locati ...

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. On june 4th, 2013, he was sentenced to a total of 90 years in prison; 65 years for the murders, 15 concurrent years for the attempted murders, 25 years for failure to protect the gun and 20 concurrent years for robbing two thousand shillings.

References

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
''

'' (April 26, 2013)
UPDF soldier on trial for killing 10 people
''