Police Officer Surrenders After Shooting Civilian Over Fare Dispute

Smith Gyekyi, a police officer with the International Relations Directorate (IRD), has turned himself in to the Amasaman Police Station after fatally shooting a 25-year-old man at Koans Estate in Accra early Sunday morning.

The incident, which occurred around 3:00 am, involved Gyekyi, who was operating a commercial Matiz vehicle registered GW 6459-21. He had picked up a passenger, Esther Owusua, from Ablekuma Joma, who was headed to the Koans Estate area.

When Owusua lost her way upon reaching the estate, she called Stanley Ahadzi, the deceased, to assist her. Upon Ahadzi’s arrival at the estate gate, a dispute reportedly broke out over the fare charged by Gyekyi. The argument escalated, resulting in Gyekyi allegedly pulling out his sidearm and shooting Ahadzi multiple times without provocation.

Crime scene investigators responded to a distress call and found Ahadzi lying in a supine position, covered in blood from multiple gunshot wounds. His body was subsequently transported to the Police Hospital morgue for preservation, pending an autopsy.

Gyekyi has been detained, and his pistol has been seized as part of the ongoing investigation. The Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, visited the deceased’s family on Sunday, August 18, and assured them that justice would be served.