Guns fired at AWW couldn’t be warning shots - Ballistic expert reveals

A police ballistic expert says gunshots fired close to a polling station in the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election could not have been warning shots as has been heard by the Emile Short Commission currently investigating the electoral violent incident.

Michael Cudjoe of the Police CID who joined the Commission on a fact-finding mission to the crime scene Friday morning to analyse the bullet holes concluded “I don’t see it as a warning shot”.

He grounded his decision on the fact that the bullet holes on trees, metal containers, walls and a truck suggest the guns were not fired into the air as should be the case for warning shots.

“From the angle…For warning shots I know mostly it should be up. Once it is targeted at an object below the height of normal human being I don’t see it as a warning shot,” he told members of the Commission.

The Commission members were at the scene to see the evidence on the ground to sync same with the evidence adduced so far by witnesses who have appeared before it in the last two weeks.

Asked by Secretary of the Commission, Kofi Abotsi, whether per his observation he can conclude that the gunshots were potentially aimed, he responded: “I may say so”.

19 High velocity bullets

Though Mr Cudjoe said he could not tell the specific bullets that created the holes, “What I can say general is, it’s created by high velocity bullet.”

A total of 19 bullets were identified and analysed by the ballistic expert who said they were “created by high velocity weapons”.

He explained that the kind of high velocity bullet holes found at the scene are from riffles.

IGP to give evidence

Meanwhile, Mr Abotsi said the Commission is working towards meeting the one-month period given it to complete its work despite the fact that they are still expecting more witnesses.

“The Commission hopes to meet the deadline that has been set by the President. The Inspector General of Police is gonna testify next week and CODEO, and the CDD may testify next week among other people. We will call witnesses that are relevant,” he stated.