Boy, 8, kills 18-year-old brother

n eight-year-old boy, Kwame Kusasi, who lives at Anoroso, a farming village at Apetreinsa in the Asante Akim District of the Ashanti Region has been remanded in police custody for allegedly killing his eighteen year old brother. The deceased, Apabila Kusasi was shot in the chin and died instantly.

Narrating the unfortunate incident to The Chronicle last Tuesday, Lance Corporal Godwin Ahianyo of the Public Relations Office of the Police administration in Kumasi, stated that on December 16, this year, the father of the two brothers, Mr. Awuni Kusasi, 38, left them and went to his farm.

After their father had left, Apabila (deceased) asked his younger brother to accompany him to his work place, where he does “By-Day’ work for his daily income.

According to him, Kwame entered their father’s room and took a locally manufactured single barrel gun and loaded it with one live cartridge, but forgot to close the gun afterwards, and held the gun against his shoulder.

Lance Corporal Ahianyo continued that on their way, the two brothers came across a bushy place and Apabila, who was behind his younger brother held up the gun which was unlocked, and in an attempt to assist him to get easy assess through the bush the gun went off hitting him (Apabila) on the chin and killing him on the spot. A formal complaint was later made at the Konongo police station.

Kwame was arrested and charged for murder, while their father was also arrested for possessing an unlawful weapon. He said they were arraigned before the Konongo Magistrate Court on December 18, 2009.

The father is to reappear on December 22 at the same court and the accused is also to appear at the juvenile court the same day.

Lance Corporal Ahianyo took the opportunity to advise the general public, especially those who possess guns to place it beyond the reach of children. He also advised those possessing illegal weapons to surrender them to the Arms and Ammunitions Unit of the Police and further asked those whose licences have expired to re-register them at the Unit because the Operation Drag Net of the police is still in force and would deal with perpetrators who do not comply with the law