KAMPALA, Uganda — Authorities in Uganda report that four young children lost their lives Thursday when an armed assailant launched a deadly assault at a nursery school in the nation’s capital.
According to the Daily Monitor newspaper, the perpetrator infiltrated the Gaba Early Childhood Development Program by posing as a parent seeking entry. After initially speaking with school administration staff, the man went outside and secured the facility’s entrance before launching his attack on the students.
Law enforcement officials confirmed in their statement that the suspect “brutally stabbed and killed four juveniles” during the rampage.
Television coverage from local station NTV captured heartbreaking scenes of distraught parents at the scene. Authorities were forced to discharge warning shots to control an enraged mob that had assembled outside the educational facility, with some attempting to take vigilante justice against the alleged perpetrator.
Police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke confirmed to The Associated Press that officers have the suspect in custody. Rusoke stated that investigators have not yet determined what drove the individual to carry out the attack. He noted that such violent incidents targeting children are uncommon in Kampala, which houses approximately 3 million residents.
