Scene officer: Pangani crowd in Ahmed Rashid case could see as I took photos

The witness also described how he came to be at the scene

by JAMES GICHIGI

News19 August 2025 - 21:00

In Summary

Testifying before Justice Diana Kavedza on Tuesday, the officer said he documented the incident by capturing photographs of the bodies, their clothing, suspected bloodstains, and cartridges found at the scene.
He explained that while the area had been cordoned off, members of the public remained close enough to see what was happening.

A scene of crime officer has told the High Court that members of the public were present and could clearly observe as he photographed the aftermath of a fatal shooting in Pangani.

Pangani-based officer Ahmed Rashid is facing charges of the murder of two teenagers, namely Jamal Mohammed and Mohammed Dhair Kheri, in March 2017.

Testifying before Justice Diana Kavedza on Tuesday, the officer said he documented the incident by capturing photographs of the bodies, their clothing, suspected bloodstains, and cartridges found at the scene.

He explained that while the area had been cordoned off, members of the public remained close enough to see what was happening.

Representing the accused, Defence lawyer Danstan Omari questioned the credibility of the scene processing, suggesting that without clear timestamps on the photos, it was difficult to verify the exact time they were taken.

"Where is the proof that photos were taken then? The report should tell when and who took photos," Omari argued.

The officer replied that his duty was to record the scene as found.

The witness also described how he came to be at the scene.

He testified that he was first called by the then Officer Commanding Station (OCS), who was already present during the shooting incident.

According to him, the OCS informed him about the incident and instructed him to proceed to the scene.

Following cross-examination, he estimated that the journey to Eastleigh, where he was based at the time, would normally take about 20 to 30 minutes.

"I don't want to be specific because I don't know.. Eastleigh to Pangani is roughly 30 mins," the officer said.

During cross-examination, Omari pressed him to state precisely how long it took to arrive, but the officer declined to give exact timings, stating that he did not want to speculate.

Defence also played a video clip in court showing two individuals who appeared to be running at around 3:14 pm, suggesting the victims were still alive at that time.

The officer confirmed that he had not yet arrived at the scene when the footage was taken.

Justice Kavedza intervened to protect the witness, clarifying that the officer’s role was limited to photographing and documenting the scene.