The police have denied reports that they shot and killed a National Youth Service (NYS) trainee in Bura Township, Tana River.
Tana River County Police Commander Walter Aliwa said one of the NYS trainee was arrested by the police on Saturday after he assaulted a police officer.
Mr Aliwa said more than 800 NYS trainees took to the streets following the arrest and marched to the police station in an attempt to rescue their colleague.
He said police tried to restore peace and order but the trainees pelted them with stones and started to destroy businesses in town.
Mr Aliwa said the police were forced to shoot in the air to disperse the youths who were also armed with spades.
“We have many people with guns in Bura Sub County, anybody could have shot the boy but probably not the police,” said Mr Aliwa as quoted by Daily Nation.
The county police boss added that investigation into the young man’s death has been launched.
“Our officers did not shoot anybody. They only talked to them as they know that they are officers. Why they went to town in large numbers is something that we are still investigating. We are also investigating the death of the NYS trainee,” he said.