May 9, 2026
Addis Ababa Police Statement On Tegegne Balcha leads begs more question
Borkena
Toronto – Addis Ababa Police on Friday released a brief statement on its social media page regarding the killing of Tegegne Balcha.
What we know so far is that police have confirmed that one of its members shot and killed him.
Police have some details in that regard.
It said he was killed on May 7, 2026 around 4:40 p.m local time near the Gulele Sub-city Woreda 1. The police officer who shot the victims is identified as Assist. Sergeant Matheos Temechew.
In an earlier report borkena published on Friday it was indicated that police officer used a handgun to shot the victim. However, the Addis Ababa Police statement indicated that the police officer shot him with an AK 47 rifle – and it appears to be in a close distance. He was shot with four bullets. Police called the killing “inhuman.”
The deceased is a young man in his thirties not forties as reported on Friday.
The officer is being investigated, according to the statement. Police said the outcome of it will be announced to the public.
The investigation so far revealed that the late Tegegne and Matheos Temechew (the officer) did have fights in the past. The former was arrested for causing bodily harm to the officer but was later released on bail. The specific date of the arrest and the cause of the fight was not specified in the police statement.
It then jumped into the latest incident that led to the killing.
“Meanwhile,” said the police statement, “the deceased was suspected of another crime and he was taken to the police division [in Woreda 1]. when asked to enter the premises of the police station after getting out of the vehicle, he resisted and there was commotion,” it said.
Again, the nature of the alleged crime is not specified. From the police statement, it appears that the police who happened to arrest the deceased happen to be Matheos Temechew who was reportedly involved in a fight with him in the past.
The narrative from eyewitnesses paints a different image.
Tegene was arrested while he was hanging out with his friends in the area.
Those who know him say he did not have a history of violence and is rather known to many as decent, polite and helpful. He owned a cultural dress show in Shiro meda but was demolished due to the “corridor development” project.
Noticeably, there are speculations – as seen from several social media posts – that the government might have deliberately orchestrated the incident to intimidate youth in the city ahead of the national election in June. There appears to be anticipation on the part of the government that a protest could break out in the capital.
Meanwhile, Coalition for Ethiopian Unity (CUE) on Saturday released a statement condemning the killing. It asserted that the killing was not an isolated incident. “Our coalition believes although the story appears to be a story of one youth – Tegegne- , the attack and the injustice is targeted against all Addis Ababa youth. …It will continue as long as Prosperity [the ruling party] is in power,” it said.
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