One of the police officers involved in the shooting incident at Lamashegu in Tamale has been granted bail by the Tamale Circuit Court.
Corporal Samson Kweku Darfour was granted GH¢10,000 bail with two sureties on Thursday 23 February 2022.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge of unlawful discharge of weapon and causing harm.
The prosecution, on Thursday, presented an amended fact sheet.
The prosecution indicated that the accused was the leader of the team which was detailed to monitor crime along the Tamale stadium forest road.
While on duty, they saw someone driving an unregistered Toyota Camry.
Upon seeing the police team, the driver made a U-turn and sped off.
“The accused, seeing that, jumped into the police vehicle and gave the victim a hot chase to the Lamashegu chief’s palace, where he shot into the car through the backdoor. The bullet then hit and lodged in the right hip of the occupant of the vehicle,” as contained in the facts.
Following the brush with the police, the youth massed up on the streets where they burnt car tyres and pelted police with stones to protest the action of the cops.
Several warning shots could be heard in videos that captured the scenes as the youth faced off with armed police officers.
A bystander was also a victim of the shooting and got injured during a clash between the youth and the police.
The victim was rushed to the Tamale Teaching Hospital and was later confirmed dead.
The deceased was identified as Abdul Hakim, a resident of Lamashegu.
Raising the bail application, counsel for the accused argued that the accused officer acted professionally during the clash.
He prayed the court to give them enough time to make their facts available to counter what the prosecution presented during Thursday’s hearing.
The case has been adjourned to March 23, 2022.
Interdiction
The accused happens to be part of the six officers who were interdicted on Monday 13 February 2022, following the incident.
The interdicted cops are:
No. 46497 General Corporal Samson Kweku Darfour
No. 50249 General Corporal Prosper Mormesimu
No. 56190 General Constable Harrison Twum Danso
No. 57436 General Constable Mathew Sah
No. 58823 General Constable Nuhu Muntari
No. 11319 PW/Constable Doris Serwaa Bonsu
A statement issued by the police said the Deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), DCOP/Mr Frederick Agyei, is expected to lead an investigation into the incident.
Additionally, personnel from the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) have been detailed alongside the CID team to probe professional standard-related issues of the conduct of the Tamale patrol team.