Police have defended the fatal shooting of a young salon owner in Matugga during an operation targeting suspected criminal gangs that have been terrorizing residents at night, even as the victim's family insists he was innocent and demands justice.

The victim, Amon Tindyebwa, was shot dead around 2am along the Kasangati-Matugga road by police officers conducting an undercover operation against suspected night-time robbers.

According to police, officers had been deployed following a surge in night-time criminal activity and intercepted two men on a motorcycle whom they suspected were part of the gangs.

However, Tindyebwa's family strongly disputes this account. Beatrice Balireta, his mother, said her son had no connection to criminal activity.

Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines

"My son was innocent. He was not a criminal," Balireta said, calling on authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.

Hamidu Ssetimba, who was riding with Tindyebwa at the time, survived the shooting and said the pair were unarmed when police confronted them.

Ssetimba recounted that the officers accused them of being the suspected criminals and that a scuffle broke out, resulting in Tindyebwa being shot.

The incident has raised concern among residents and the family, who are calling for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting.

Police maintain that their officers were responding to the threat posed by criminal gangs operating at night, but Tindyebwa's family insists justice must be served if he was wrongly killed.

Authorities say further inquiries into the matter are ongoing.