A 22-year-old man was on Tuesday shot dead after he attacked a police officer who tried to stop him from hacking his 68-year-old mother at their home in Chekata, Kakamega County.

Police say the man’s elder brother reported to Navakholo Police Station that Ian Wanjala had armed himself with a machete, a knife and a hoe and was threatening to kill their mother.

The Officer Commanding the Station (OCS) led a team of officers to the scene of the distress call and found the suspect armed and pursuing the mother.

A police report indicates that officers intervened to calm the suspect but he instead turned against the OCS, aiming to cut him on the head with the hoe.

“The OCS evaded the aim, blocking with his right hand there by sustaining two broken fingers and unfortunately fell to the ground while attempting to escape. The suspect cornered him and again aimed with the jembe but before striking the OCS fired a warning round in the air,” police said.

The suspect persisted and aimed to cut the OCS who was still down, in the process the OCS shot him in the chest.

Both the suspect and the OCS were rushed to the Navakholo Sub-County Hospital where the latter was declared dead on arrival.

The OCS was given first aid treatment and referred to Kakamega County General Referral Hospital while the deceased's body was moved to the facility’s mortuary to await post-mortem.