A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot by police during a botched drug raid on Nairobi's Huruma estate on Thursday evening.
Haila Asanake was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital.
Witnesses said Asanake was standing on a balcony on the third floor of a building when he was hit.
Police said he was hit by a stray bullet fired by a team of officers. They were firing in the air to scare a group that was attacking them with stones.
The officers said they had stopped a suspicious car in the area at about 6pm in search of a known narcotics peddler when they were confronted with resistance.
A scuffle ensued as they got hold of the said suspect, attracting the attention of some locals who started throwing stones and other objects at the team.
This prompted them to shoot in the air in an effort to scare the attackers who wanted the suspect freed. The suspect managed to flee.
Starehe police boss Julius Kiragu said it was in the process that the teenager was hit and the officers did not know of the incident as they drove from the scene.
"It was when a relative came to report that it was realised someone had been hit. We are, however, investigating the incident,” he said.
The deceased was rushed to a nearby clinic where he died while being attended to.
The incident prompted protests by residents who accused the police of being trigger-happy.
A group tried to attack a local police station with stones but were repulsed.
The body was moved to a mortuary where a postmortem was planned as part of investigations.
A group of human rights organisations said they had taken up the matter to push for justice.
This is the latest incident involving police to happen in the area. In March last year, a 13-year-old boy was shot dead by police who were enforcing a curfew order.
Police officer Duncan Ndiema Ndiwah, who was linked to the death of Yasin Hussein Moyo, was later charged in court.
Yasin was shot from his home balcony on March 30 in Kiamaiko during curfew.
Yasin, a standard eight student at Ndururuno Primary School, was at home like other students after the government closed all learning institutions.
Police have maintained that the incidents are isolated and action has been taken against those behind them.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
