Security guards attached to Mityana Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr Isha Ntumwa have shot two people dead and critically injured another.
Police identified the deceased as Lasto Ssenjanja, 17 and Vincent Kasozi, 22.
Ms Harriet Namatta, who was injured, is nursing gunshot wounds at Mityana General Hospital.
The incident occurred at Gema Trading Centre in Bulera Sub-county, where Mr Ntumwa had gone to intervene in a disagreement between two families.
The disagreement stems from allegations of witchcraft that reportedly led to the death of the area councillor, Mr Edward Ndyanabo, last month.
According to eye witnesses, trouble started when the guards tried to rescue eight family members of the late Glaozio Magala from an angry mob that attempted to lynch them.
According to Mr Ntumwa, eight members of the late Magala’s family went to his office and registered a complaint that members of Mr Byaruhanga’s family had accused them of practicing witchcraft and were threatening to harm them.
“I decided to go to the village with police and my security guards to have a reconciliation meeting between the two warring families. On arrival, the group that had gathered at the meeting venue, tried to pull eight members of Magala’s family out of my vehicle,” he said. “They hurled stones at my security guards and in the process, they [security guards] fired bullets which accidentally killed two people,” he said.
He said the guards fired bullets in self-defence because the mob had attacked them.
Mr Norbert Ochom, the Wamala regional police spokesperson said a case of murder has been reported at Kibuto Police post.
“The district police commander and our homicide team visited the scene and recovered five bullet cartridges and also recorded statements from some witnesses,” he said.
He said the RDC and his security guards have been summoned to Mityana Central police station to record statements.