Policeman in custody over Tema Motorway shooting

The Airport Divisional Police Command is holding a policeman behind the alleged Tema-Accra Motorway shooting incident in which a woman was injured.

The policeman, (name withheld) together with two civilians onboard a Toyota 4Runner were said to have intercepted another vehicle; Toyota Saloon car on which the victim was.

The Police have granted bail to the two civilians but are still holding their own to assist in investigations.

The driver of the Toyota Saloon car has been accused by the policeman and his group of driving recklessly and had asked him to hand over his ignition key, which he resisted, leading to the shooting.

Chief Superintendent Bismark Agyapong, Airport Police Divisional Commander, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the said incident happened on Saturday, February 20, 2021, at about 1000 hours whilst passengers on board a Toyota saloon vehicle with registration number GT-2529-15 were heading towards Accra.

He said the complainant (Name withheld), said, when they got to the toll booth, a Toyota 4Runner with three people on board pulled over and questioned the driver of the Toyota vehicle why he was driving recklessly. They requested that the driver handed over his car key which he refused.

The complainant alleged that in the course of their interaction, someone in the group fired a pump-action gun to the ground. All three people were in mufti but investigations revealed that the one who fired the shot was a police officer, he added.

“The firing injured one of the passengers aboard the Toyota vehicle by name Christabel Nketia Arhin, 22 years of age. Her injury was not a deep one and we suspect that when the Policeman fired to the ground, there were some splashes either with the pellets or gravels on the ground which might cause the injury to the ear,” Chief Superintendent Agyapong said.

He said the victim was treated at the 37 Military Hospital and discharged on the same day.

"We are waiting to meet with her to see her medical report. She said doctors have asked her to come for review so that she can finally come to us with her medical report."

Following the incident, all three persons aboard the Toyota 4Runner were arrested so that investigation can be done.

The Divisional Commander said the Police Administration had been informed about the issue and they were awaiting instructions from their superiors.

He said the other two were also found with guns which they also fired, stating that they had retrieved documents covering the weapons and it showed that all of them were duly licensed.

Asked whether the Police would punish the driver for the alleged reckless driving, Chief Superintendent Agyapong said, “The attention is now on the shooting incident but as time goes on, the driver who was alleged to be driven recklessly would be handed to the Motor Traffic and Transport Department to look into the matter.”