4 Policemen shot; attacked when responding to distress call

Four policemen who were on normal patrol duties were last Saturday night shot at by suspected armed robbers at Sukura-Zabrama Line, a suburb of Accra.

The policemen sustained various degrees of injury on their arms, thighs and abdomen, with one of them in critical condition.

According to the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr George Alex Mensah, the incident happened when the policemen went to the area in response to a distress call they had received from a resident.

He said on the way to verify the call, the team came across a group of young men, one of whom, unknowingly, was carrying a firearm, and without any warning, he shot at the policemen from close range.

Mr Mensah said the driver of the police vehicle went to the rescue of his wounded colleagues and rushed them to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

Civilians injured

Apart from the policemen, some civilians were also caught by the shots from the suspected criminals.

The civilians included a 24-year-old man and an elderly woman who, in an her attempt to run away from the scene, fell into a gutter and broke her leg.

The civilians too were conveyed to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where they are receiving treatment.

Mr Mensah commended doctors at the hospital who had to be called in late Saturday night to attend to the wounded civilians and policemen, especially the one who was shot close to his heart.
He said the police were relying on the public to provide information that could lead to the arrest of the suspected criminals.