{UAH} First Lady guard shoots national boxing trainer.

A Special Forces Command (SFC) soldier protecting the First Lady Janet Museveni has been arrested after he shot and injured a fitness trainer of the Bombers, the national boxing team.

The soldier shot Bricks Diamond in the arm while blocking the team from accessing the Cricket Oval where the First Lady was meeting wives of police officers on Saturday at Lugogo Bypass. Major Chris Magezi, the spokesman of the SFC, confirmed the incident and the arrest of their officer, but declined to give details.

"There was an argument between the soldier and sportsmen and he shot one in the arm. The soldier has been arrested and handed over to police," he said.

It isn't clear which offences the soldier is being held on since police have declined to comment on the matter. According to a police source, the Bombers and their trainers were given access into Lugogo Indoor Stadium by SFC officers in the morning as they prepare for the national trials ahead of Olympics Qualifiers next month. But after jogging, they used another entrance to access the same venue as it has been their routine. Mr Diamond, who manages Life Fitness Centre, Lugogo, said they found soldiers at the entrance who denied them entry despite identifying themselves as national boxers.

"I told them that if these guys have identified themselves, politely, let them enter. We are in a residential training camp. But one soldier responded 'so what? You won't enter.' The other one said 'shoot them if they are insisting,'" he said. He said, "I told them 'let me try to handle this. You don't need to shoot or raise your voices…. Just give these guys respect and they will respect you.' The guy quickly cocked his gun, and fired at me. It would have hit me in the chest, if I didn't feint a bit."

The bullet injured his left upper arm. The errant soldier vanished but the boxers insisted they could not move before he is brought back to the scene.

He was brought back and boxers identified him. He was later detained at Jinja Road Police Station. Diamond was rushed to Nakasero Hospital. That account is corroborated by the boxers and team coach Oscar Binka.

assemugabi@ug.nationmedia.com

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H.OGWAPITI
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"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that  we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic  and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
---Theodore Roosevelt

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