A jilted soldier scoured Kaabong town for his lover and fired 34 rounds into random lodge rooms before taking his own life.
Police say nobody else was hurt in the jealous rage incident at Karimong Guest House as the bullets did not hit the targets of Private David Wabule's fury.
Yet after expending 34 bullets, Wabule of the 45th Infantry Battalion in Lobongia Sub-county, Kaabong District, appeared to believe he had killed his lover and the two men she was in the lodge with.
But as fate would have it, Wabule's concubine is called Lucky Auma and she must have carried the more luck than just the name with her like a shadow into the lodge on the evening of Sunday, September 29.
Police said Wabule arrived in Kaabong town from Longomit barracks on Saturday and assaulted Private Gerald Akampulira Ngabirino, a colleague, as he demanded to know the whereabouts of Ms Auma.
He also took away Ngabirano's mobile phone. While the latter went to hospital and reported a case of assault, Wabula scoured the town for Ms Auma and the men he had been told were hvaing a tryst with her.
After finding them, Wabule went back to the barracks and armed himself to the teeth - an AK47 with 120 rounds of ammunition was what he carried to the battle ground - the lodge.
Witnesses say that Wabule opened fire on multiple rooms, shooting through doors and windows in a mad rage.
Inside one of the rooms, Private Walter Chemutai and Private Anthony Ourien were in Auma's company when they heard the shots, Police said in the report.
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"They shouted in an attempt to stop Wabule, who soon turned his attention to their room, unleashing a hail of bullets before fatally shooting himself through the mouth," Peter Nataya a witness, said.
Police said Ms Auma had shouted at Wabule, saying what he was doing was wrong. And having finally spotted her, he opened more fire on the room.
Wabule, believing he had killed them, then stepped away and pointed the hot muzzle to his own chin and pulled one more trigger, the only fatal one.
Kaabong police and UPDF officers led by SP Yudaya Mugoya Commanding Officer 45 Battalion quickly arrived at the scene.
The body of Private Wabule was taken to Kaabong Hospital for postmortem, while Auma, Ourien, and another soldier, Private Gerald Akampulira Ngabirino, were arrested to assist with investigations.
Major Isaac Oware, the UPDF Information Officer, who called the incident unfortunate said they recovered the killer firearm at the scene.
"We recovered the firearm, along with four magazines and 86 live rounds from the scene. We are continuing to probe further into the fatal incident." Isaac Oware said.
Ms Auma and the two soldiers she was with have been taken into custody at Kaabong Central Police Station to help with investigations.
