A driver’s mate has been critically wounded after being shot by a police officer at Danchira in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region. The incident occurred at a police snap checkpoint opposite the Danchira police station, where the victim was shot without provocation by Corporal Franklin Forson.
Isaac Okyere, the driver of a Kia truck registered GE 9643 W, recounted the chilling incident to the media. He stated that he was stopped at the checkpoint on Saturday evening after delivering electrometers to an ECG subcontracted company at Oblogo in the Weija Gbawe Municipality. After answering questions from a community police assistant, Okyere began to drive off when Corporal Forson suddenly fired into the empty bucket of the truck without warning. The bullets from the assault rifle penetrated the cabin and struck the driver’s mate, who was severely injured and rushed to the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital for treatment.
The traumatised driver is demanding an independent inquiry and justice for the victim. Although senior officers at the Danchira police station declined to comment officially, sources suggest that the matter is being treated as an accident, with the shooting officer bearing responsibility for the victim’s medical treatment. However, the driver alleges harassment and arrest following the shooting.
Additional information suggests that the driver physically assaulted a senior police officer for attempting to record a verbal altercation between him and a policewoman from the station. The matter is currently before the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS).
Following the recent shooting incident, residents of the Danchira area are calling for a thorough investigation into the local police’s activities. Allegations of bribery, extortion, and protection of criminals, including land guards, have been directed at the police in the region.