One of the Police officers who was involved in the Lamashegu shooting incident, General Corporal Samson Kweku Darfour, has been granted a ¢10,000 bail with two sureties by the Tamale Circuit Court.

The accused, who was the leader of a team deployed to monitor crime on the stadium forest road, pleaded not guilty to the charge of causing harm.

According to the prosecution, a victim who was using an unregistered Toyota Camry turned in an opposite direction and sped off after he saw the Police team.

General Corporal Darfour is alleged to have shot into the vehicle. One of his colleagues, Corporal Monney Koranteng, is said to have made defamatory comments against traditional leaders in the area.

“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.”

Meanwhile, the defendant’s lawyer 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 Wednesday, March 23, 2022.

Background

On Sunday, February 13, 2022, the Police clashed with the youth of Lamashegu, a community in the Tamale South Municipality of the Northern region.

The disturbance is reported to have erupted when a young man who was being pursued by the police dashed into the Lamashe-Naa’s Palace to avoid being apprehended by security personnel.

The youth pelted stones at the Police who in turn fired gunshots to disperse the crowd.

Several shots were fired and a water cannon was used to disperse the youth.

Subsequently, the Police Service interdicted six officers for their roles in that clash which claimed one life and got several others injured.