The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has confirmed the death of a key suspect linked to the viral armed robbery at a restaurant in Spring Valley, Nairobi, following a shootout with detectives in Joska, Machakos County.
In a statement issued on Monday, July 13, the DCI said officers recovered a Beretta pistol loaded with four rounds of 9mm ammunition, additional live ammunition, spent cartridges and three mobile phones from the scene.
The suspect was believed to be part of a wider criminal network linked to a series of violent robberies reported across Nairobi, Kiambu and Machakos counties.
Preliminary investigations also connected him to the armed robbery at a restaurant along General Mathenge Road in Spring Valley, Westlands, which gained widespread attention after CCTV footage of the incident circulated on social media.
The footage showed armed criminals entering the restaurant, threatening diners and stealing mobile phones and other valuables before escaping on motorcycles.
“Preliminary investigations strongly link the suspect to the recent daylight robbery along General Mathenge Road in Spring Valley, Westlands, where armed thugs terrorised diners, snatching phones and valuables before fleeing on motorcycles,” the DCI stated.
Acting on intelligence reports, detectives from the DCI, working together with officers from DCI Matungulu, launched an operation targeting the suspect at a house in Joska Town.
According to investigators, the suspect had been hiding at his girlfriend’s residence in an attempt to evade arrest.
The DCI said that when officers identified themselves and ordered the occupants to open the door, the suspect allegedly responded by firing through a kitchen window, directing bullets towards the detectives.
The officers returned fire in what the agency described as an act of self-defence, leading to a confrontation before they secured the premises.
After gaining entry into the house, detectives found the suspect fatally wounded and confirmed that he had died from injuries sustained during the exchange of fire.
Apart from the firearm, detectives recovered three mobile phones believed to contain information that could assist investigators in tracing the suspect’s movements and possible criminal connections.
The recovered pistol has since been handed over to the National Police Service Forensic Laboratory, where ballistic experts will examine it to determine whether it was used in other criminal activities.
Meanwhile, detectives have launched a manhunt for the suspect’s alleged accomplices, who remain at large and are considered dangerous.