A 29-year- old shop manager has been put before the Sowutoum District Court for causing the death of one Shadrack Allu at West Hills Mall, at Weija in Accra.
Charged with murder, Kwame Osei Boafo, has had his plea preserved.
The Court presided over by Mr. Stephen Tabiri has remanded Boafo into police custody to reappear on February 16.
Defence Counsel disputed the facts, saying the case bothered on “causation” and same could not be attributed to his client.
Counsel contended that a postmortem report would make things clearer for his clients as the facts suggested that the deceased struggled with a certain policeman over a black polythene bag.
According to defence counsel, the said taser the accused person allegedly used was not even working when it was tried on the accused after his arrest.
The facts as narrated by Inspector M. Kwakye are that the complainant, Bernard Barnor Denkyi, is an Operations Manager of West Hill Mall located at Weija.
The Prosecution said Boafo is also the Shop Manager of Max Buy Ghana Limited dealers of Electrical Appliance also located within the West Hill Mall.
It said on January 30, this year, Police Sergeant Daniel Abeiku stationed with the Visibility Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Headquarters was detailed to perform duty at the said Mall.
The Prosecution said while stationed at the mall, Sergeant Abeiku saw Shadrack Allu aged 32, now deceased, and one Ibrahim Seshi, a witness in the case, wearing backpacks.
It said the deceased and Seshie’s movement became suspicious and the Police called deceased to come so he could search his backpack.
The Prosecution told the court that the deceased opened his backpack, removed “something wrapped in a black polythene and put it in his back pocket and started running outside.
It said Sergeant Abieku pursued the deceased and arrested him.
However, the deceased struggled with the Policeman when he was being handcuffed. The deceased in the process took the said wrapped item from the polythene bag and swallowed it.
The prosecution said Boafo who saw the incident rushed to the scene and removed his personal taser and “shocked the deceased.”
“The deceased fell unconscious as a result and was rushed to the Somotech Hospital within the Mall for treatment, but he was pronounced dead on arrival by the medical doctor on duty.”
Prosecution said Boafo was arrested and his taser was retrieved.
During interrogation, Boafo told the Police that he bought the taser for self defence.
Prosecution said the body of the deceased was carefully inspected but no physical marks of assault were found.
According to prosecution, the body of Allu has since been deposited at the Police Hospital for preservation and autopsy while investigations continue.
The management of West Hills Mall issued a statement after the incident based on eyewitnesses’ accounts and what was captured by its CCTV.
It also conveyed its “sincerest condolences” to the deceased’s family.
Find the statement below
Incident at West Hills Mall on Monday, January 30, 2023
The Management of West Hills Mall hereby confirms that an incident occurred on its premises in the afternoon of Monday, January 30, 2023 which unfortunately resulted in a fatality.
By eyewitness and mall security personnel accounts, at approximately 3:15pm on January 30, 2023, a visitor was confronted by a Police Officer and asked to present his bag for examination. The Police Officer ostensibly suspected the customer, a young man between 25 and 30 years, of possessing drugs or banned substances. The accounts indicate that the young man hesitated, removed something from his bag and swallowed it as the policeman approached him.
West Hills Mall’s 24-hour security surveillance system captured footage of the officer apprehending the young man, as well as another man who accompanied him, as they headed for the main entrance of the mall. In an attempt to handcuff the young man, a struggle between the parties ensued while the Police Officer tried to handcuff him.
He was eventually handcuffed but stopped struggling and appeared unwell after that. The Police subsequently removed the cuffs from his hands, and Mall Security arranged for transportation for him to be taken to the medical facility on-site. Sadly, he was pronounced dead by Medics upon arrival.
The Weija District Police have since retrieved the body of the deceased.
The Management of West Hills Mall is shocked by this ill-fated incident. We convey our sincerest condolences to the deceased’s family as we trust that the Police will handle the matter further.
Thank You.
Olympio Agbodza
Assistant Asset Manager,