Bawku: Police shoot dead suspected armed robber, one on the run

A suspected armed robber has been shot dead by the Police in Bawku in an attempted highway robbery in the Upper East Region.

The two suspected robbers, one of whom managed to escape, engaged a Police officer in a gun battle on the Bolga-Bawku road Friday dawn, leading to the killing of the other.

The Police officer was escorting a commercial Mercedes Benz bus with the registration WR 1789-C, when the said armed robbers believed to be Fulanis, attacked the vehicle.

According to the Police in Bawku, the robbers who had mounted a roadblock with logs, signalled the driver of the bus to stop but he decided to swerve the barrier causing the vehicle to run into a gutter.

The Police say the two robbers then attempted to rob the passengers on the bus but on realising there was a Police escort in the bus, they started firing.

The Police officer also exchanged gunfire and in the process hit one of the robbers but the two managed to run into the Tilli Forest in the Bawku West District.

A police patrol team was called in to pursue the suspects leading to the discovery of the one who was shot.

Superintendent of Police, Albert Addita, who confirmed the incident to 3News said the suspect, had bled profusely when he was found and could not talk.

He said the suspect believed to be about 35 years was rushed to the Zebilla government hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A locally manufactured pistol was found on the deceased whose body has since been deposited at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital for autopsy and identification.