William Unek | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Died | 20 February 1957 |
| Cause of death | Severe burns from a smoke bomb thrown by police |
| Other names | William Uneko [1] |
| Occupation | Constable |
| Details | |
| Victims | 57 killed 30+ injured |
Span of crimes | 1954–1957 |
| Country | Belgian Congo Tanganyika Territory |
| Weapons | Axe Knife Lee-Enfield Rifle [ citation needed ] Arson |
William Unek (died 20 February 1957) was a Ugandan police constable and serial mass murderer who killed a total of 57 people in two separate spree killings in the Congo and Tanganyika three years apart.
Unek, a Ugandan national [2] and one of the Acholi people, [3] committed his first murder spree near Mahagi, Belgian Congo in 1954, where he killed 21 people with an axe before escaping, [1] eventually ending up in the Tanganyika Territory. [4] The motive was never ascertained.
By 1957, Unek joined the Taganyika Police Force, who were unware of his criminal past, [5] working and residing in Malampaka, [6] a village in the Maswa District of Lake Province [7] (in a part of the modern-day Simiyu Region), about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Mwanza. [8]
On the night of 10–11 February 1957, [9] Unek committed a second spree killing, reportedly due to "social misunderstandings" with his boss. [10] At the police station, Unek used an axe to kill a police sergeant and a corporal before stealing the keys to the armory. [9] [11]
Armed with a stolen police rifle, 50 rounds of ammunition, [7] and an axe, Unek killed 29 people in Malampaka, [12] although this was first reported as 16, and injured nearly 30 others. [2] In the village, Unek set fire to two huts, [9] one of which was his own, where he had killed his wife earlier. Another victim was the wife of the previously murdered police sergeant, [11] also killed with the axe. He then changed out of his police uniform into clothes stolen from one of his victims and fled, still carrying the rifle and food he had stolen from the village. [6] The killings took place over the course of less than twelve hours. [7] Most of the murders occurred in Malampaka, [6] though according to later oral tradition, neighbouring communities were also targeted. [10] On the night of 12 February, Unek also strangled a 15-year-old girl. [12] [13] Four more people died by 16 February, bringing the final fatality count to 36. [8]
In total, Unek had shot dead ten men, eight women, and eight children, murdered five men with an axe, stabbed another one, strangled a teenage girl, and burned two women and a child. [6] [7] [14] [15]
For nine days, the bush and swamp area south of Lake Victoria was searched by thousands of Wasukuma tribesmen, 200 officers of Tanganyika police, and eventually a 100-man company of the King's African Rifles called in from Tabora in Tanganyika's greatest manhunt up to that time. [6] [16] While Unek was easily recognisable from his 6 ft stature, the high grass provided cover from his pursuers. Trackers dogs were used, but their effectiveness was lessened due to heavy rainfall. British authorities posted a £350 reward for Unek's capture and deployed the use of jeeps and aircraft to aid in the search. Tribal members suggested looking for signs of vultures to locate Unek as they believed it likely that he had died by this point, either of exhaustion or by suicide. [6] [12] [17] [18] Pastoralists and farmers in the area refrained from working outside during this time due to fears of attack from the fugitive. [6] [10]
On 18 February, Unek went to the house of 45-year-old Iyumbu bin Ikumbu, [19] who lived only 2 miles (3.2 km) outside of Malampaka, in search of food. When Iyumbu reported the incident to the police, he was asked to keep Unek with him and notify them, should the killer come again to his home. Unek, still armed, reappeared at about 1:00 a.m. the next day. Iyumbu sent out his wife, telling Unek it was to get food, but really to alert the local tribal headman [20] and distracted Unek until police arrival by engaging him in conversation for nearly two hours. At that point, Iyumbu ran out of his house as police threw smoke bombs at the building. The officer in charge, Superintendent Press, walked close to the house, grabbed a smoke bomb that had missed its target and slid it through an opening between the roof and wall. This caused the house to catch fire, with Unek sustaining severe injuries while attempting to evade capture, resulting in hospital treatment. [7] [16] [21] [22] After being charged with murder, [17] Unek underwent emergency surgery, but died of his injuries on 20 February. [23] [24]
Iyumbu later received a financial reward of £125. [25] In October 1957, he was given the British Empire Medal by governor Edward Twining for his bravery leading to the capture of the constable. [7] [19] [26]
Unek was connected to the Mahagi killings in late March 1957, after police showed pictures of Unek to Belgian authorities. [27]
As response to the murders, a fund was created to help the descendants of those killed [28] and a maternity clinic was built as a memorial for Unek's victims. [16]
Unek's spree killing in Malampaka ranks among the deadliest of the twentieth century. [29] At the time, his 1957 rampage was the deadliest mass shooting in recorded history until the 1982 Woo Bum-kon incident.
