Soldier Allegedly Shoots Wife, 2 Children, 10 Others Dead After Late Son Is Buried In His Absence

 A soldier allegedly shot his wife, two of his children and 10 other people dead following the burial of his late son Saturday in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The unnamed soldier reportedly returned home from his post to find members of his family and the community grieving the death of his son, who reportedly died of natural causes and apparently had been buried, according to the AP news report. “This soldier did not like the fact that his son … was buried without his approval and in his absence,” Baraka Muguwa Oscar, the local village chief, said. It is unclear why the soldier allegedly turned his weapon on the funeral attendees, with most of the victims reportedly being in-laws and children. 

The soldier fled the scene of the shooting and is now reportedly the focus of a manhunt by fellow soldiers. “No matter what the case, the time or the circumstances, you can’t take a person’s life. This is an act of indiscipline that will be dealt with by the courts,” said Lt. Jules Ngongo, a spokesman for the army in Ituri province, according to the report.

The soldier served in the Congolese navy, according to Reuters. Both his home and his post are in Ituri province, over 1,800 miles from the DRC’s capital city, Kinshasa. An investigation is ongoing.

The DRC has been in the grip of armed violence, with over 5.8 million people reportedly internally displaced, largely because of fighting between Congolese forces and M23 rebels. Reportedly backed by Rwanda, the rebels have been accused of war crimes including killings and rape.