Six killed in Nairobi shooting

A Kenyan police officer has shot dead six people, including his wife, and injured two others before committing suicide, police say.

The attack, which took place in Nairobi’s poor Kabate neighborhood, sparked a violent protest by residents who burned tires and blocked roads.

Police say the officer, who was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle, first shot his wife in the neck before firing indiscriminately at his neighbor.

“We lost six people, all of whom were shot dead by a police officer before he took his own life,” said Francis Wahome, the local police chief.

The two injured were taken to hospital.

Wahome said it was not yet clear what prompted the shooting, adding “We were told the couple was having an argument and had previously argued.”

Cases of police officers killing their wives are common in the East African country, where extrajudicial killings is also widely common.

The police, who do not receive a good salary and are not properly trained, have a bad reputation in Kenya, which is considered the most corrupt organization in the country, according to Transparency International.

Last month, another officer opened fire on his comrades in a town in central Kenya, killing one before fleeing.

In March, a military-trained officer in western Kenya killed one of his leaders in a dispute over a replacement, before committing suicide.

Another which was said to be a jealous police officer shot and killed 10 people in an attack on two restaurants in central Kenya in November 2010, before turning himself in to police.