Barricade tape for crime scene (Courtesy)

An elderly chief was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in Kajo-Keji County of Central Equatoria State on Sunday, the area commissioner said.

Chief Michael Tomilan was sitting around a fireplace with his children on the evening of January 15, when gunmen stormed his residence, dragged him out and fatally shot him.

Kajo-keji Commissioner Panuel Dumo said a neighbor to the late chief also survived a gunshot wound after he flashed the attackers with a torchlight.

According to Dumo, one of the unknown gunmen had asked the elderly victim; “are you the one”, before picking him and shooting him on the stomach.

The attackers fled the crime scene afterwards.

“The following morning (Monday), we instructed the national security, the MI and the payam director to scan around to find out who is the murderer,” said Commissioner Dumo.

“They are investigating if the criminal is within or somebody coming from somewhere. Because here, we can identify people, sometimes our own forces can get involved into a problem.”

The motive of the chief’s killing remains a mystery.

But Commissioner Dumo said the incident occurred hours after the County Executive Officer warned youth in the area against cattle theft.

This followed an announcement that some stolen cattle from South Sudan were detained in Koboko District of Uganda.

However, Dumo said, the security personnel are conducting search to identify the perpetrators.