Police constable commits suicide with AK 47 rifle

Sunyani, May 27, GNA - Police Constable Francis Opoku, stationed at Drobo police station in Jaman South District, on Tuesday shot and killed himself allegedly over a missing AK 47 assault rifle. He shot himself at the entrance of the station charge office. Deputy Commissioner of Police Charles Oteng, the Regional Commander, told the GNA in Sunyani.

He said the deceased left for home after close of work but returned to the station at about 2000 hours. Constable Opoku entered the charge office, broke into a drawer in which the gun was kept for emergencies, picked it and went out whilst the policewoman who was on duty followed to see what he was going to do. At the entrance of the charge office the deceased fired two warning shots into the air before shooting himself in the forehead. Mr Oteng said policemen on duty run to the scene and found the deceased lying dead in a pool of blood with the gun in his hand. He said the cause of the suicide was not yet known as the deceased did not leave any written note but added he (the deceased) was in the morning of the incident quizzed by his senior officer over a missing rifle.

Mr Oteng said an AK 47 assault rifle was detected missing from the station last week and when initial investigations concluded that he (deceased) was responsible for the theft he was invited for the interrogation but he denied knowledge.