Relatives of two people who were killed in yesterday’s disturbances in Miotso in the Ningo Prampram District are blaming the police for the deaths.
The two were killed following the exchange of gunshots over a land dispute Thursday which also left six others injured.
Though calm has returned to the community debris of burnt houses and vehicles are scattered in the area. So is the blood of persons who were shot splashed on walls and the floor.
Joy News’ Ernest Kojo Manu reports that there is an uneasy calm among the residents who are living in fear as they cannot tell what would happen next. As at midday Friday there was no police presence to protect them heightening their fears.
A lot of the residents are also massing up at the homes of the deceased to commiserate with the families.
Bereaved families are throwing a lot of accusations at the police’s handling of the incident as they say this is not the first time such a misunderstanding has happened.
They say as recent as December 3, there was an incident in which the son of one of the deceased, Francis Botwe, had his restaurant attacked and the police did nothing.
Also, in August there were attacked on the Miotso community by the residents of Dwawenya in which the police also failed to respond.
The residents have therefore concluded that looking at what they describe as the indifference of the police in the aforementioned attacks, they say the police have not acted professionally.
According to them, the police is compromising the matter.
The Assemblyman, Theophilus Botwe, who doubles as the brother to the late Mr Botwe confirmed to Joy News that although he works closely with the police, fire service and other security agencies in the area, he has not seen the police officer who came to the area before.
“I know them from Tema. Three were guiding people at the entrance and two were stopping people from coming here,” he said.
Theophilus claims asked them when he could not find his brother and they told him that unfortunately there was a mistake when Francis was running away from them and they shot him in the process.
The angry bereaved Assemblyman said he asked them why they did not shoot Franci’s legs instead of a straight bullet into his head since they were not sure he was involved.
Earlier the police had told Joy News the disturbance could not have been among residents of Miotso and Dwawenya as those involved had scattered before they got to the scene.
They said all they did was to restore law and order as well as to give protection.
But Theophilus said stands by his words that the police had told him they had mistakenly shot his brother and he believes Dwawenya landguards did not kill Francis and the other mason.
Although the police have declined further comment on the matter for now as the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) takes over the matter.
Sixteen people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident.
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