A suspected armed robber linked to the daring daylight attack at a popular restaurant in Spring Valley, Nairobi, has been shot dead following a fierce gun battle with detectives during a raid in Joska, Machakos County.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspect was believed to be part of a criminal gang responsible for a series of violent robberies across Nairobi, Kiambu, and Machakos counties.
Detectives from the DCI Headquarters, working alongside officers from DCI Matungulu, launched the operation after receiving intelligence that the suspect had taken refuge at his girlfriend’s house in Joska Town.
Police said the officers identified themselves and ordered the occupants to open the door.
However, the suspect opened fire through a kitchen window, forcing detectives to return fire in self-defence.
After the exchange of gunfire, detectives entered the house and found the suspect lying fatally wounded.
Officers recovered a Beretta pistol loaded with a magazine containing four rounds of 9mm ammunition, additional live rounds, spent cartridges, and three mobile phones from the scene.
Preliminary investigations have linked the suspect to the recent armed robbery along General Mathenge Road in Spring Valley, Westlands, where gunmen stormed a popular restaurant, terrorised diners, and made away with mobile phones and other valuables before escaping on motorcycles.
The recovered firearm has been submitted to the National Police Service Forensic Laboratory (NPSFL) for ballistic analysis to establish whether it was used in other violent crimes.
Meanwhile, detectives have intensified a manhunt for the suspect’s accomplices, who remain at large.
The DCI said it remains committed to dismantling violent criminal gangs and bringing those involved in serious crimes to justice.
