Police are lying to cover-up shooting my brother - Brother of deceased

A man describing himself as the brother of a young man shot and killed by the police on Monday during a demolition exercise at Adenta, Accra has described as a pack of lies, claims by the police that the victim threatened the police with a machete.

The police said they were convinced Adjei Brother was a land guard who intended to harm a police officer after the former spurned repeated warnings to drop a machete he allegedly wielded and with which he marched menacingly towards the police.
 
Police said they therefore had no option but to gun him down. Three others were also arrested for obstructing the work of the police who were providing security cover for the demolition.

But Nii Amarkai Mensah Botchway says the police story is a pack of lies and they would do better to own up for needlessly snuffing the life out of a young taxi driver.

He suspects the police may have killed his brother inadvertently as the youth, including the deceased, pressed to question why their properties were being destroyed.

Nii Amarkai said he learned the police started firing warning shots one of which may have strayed to hit his brother aged about 25 years but it was unprofessional and irresponsible for the police to cook up the story that his brother was a land guard who aimed to hack a policeman with the machete.

“Police are not telling the truth”, “They should stop the nonsense”, “They should act professionally”, Nii Amarkai thundered as he spoke with Asempa FM, and questioned how about 200 armed policemen could be so threatened by one man as to gun him down in supposed self-defence.

He said the case would be pursued to a logical conclusion because the indigenes would not give up. The police could as well go and kill all of them if they so wish, he said, asking if they would have been pleased to lose one of their own in the manner they killed the young man.

But Accra Regional Police Public Relations Director, DSP Freeman Tettey said the police were convinced beyond all doubts that the victim was a land guard. He said given the threat posed to the life of a policeman by the machete wielding young man, the only reasonable response was to defend themselves.

He the “hoodlums” and “hooligans” wielded offensive weapons and those among them who surrendered to the police command to lay down their weapons were arrested while others escaped but the victim would not budge.

Freeman Tettey said the police should not be blamed for the death because they acted professionally and the resort to firearms was justified. It was also not feasible to arrest him or maim him under the circumstances.