Court remands three persons for shooting into crowd
Three persons suspected of shooting into a crowd at Prampram in the Ningo-Prampram District on April 29 this year, were on Friday remanded into custody by the Tema Circuit Court ‘A’.
The three, who were among six people suspected of shooting into the crowd are, John Lartey Botway, a farmer, Ofori Issah Adu, a mason and Michael Nussor, a carpenter, were remanded to reappear on May 17.
The accused persons, whose pleas were not taken, were charged with 17 counts of conspiracy to commit crime, and attempted murder.
The presiding judge, Mr Kyei Barfo remanding the accused persons, stated that the charges were first degree felonies, and his court has no jurisdiction over the case.
He therefore instructed the prosecution to arraign them before the district court by the adjourned date.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Marjorie Otabil, prosecuting, said Botway and Nussor are residents of Prampram while Adu stays at Dawhenya and that they were close friends.
ASP Otabil said a ban had been placed on noise making in the Prampram traditional area, pending the celebration of this year’s Homowo festival.
She said the three, together with one Jaequa, Rasta Nii Maamah and Tuga, all at large, in a Nissan Pathfinder and Honda Accord vehicles went to the Mantse Agbonaa in the area, where rituals were being performed.
The facts had it that the accused persons, who were aware of the ban, stopped at where the traditional rituals was being performed and started playing loud music from their vehicles.
The accused persons were confronted by the crowd, who were observing the rituals, and in the process one of the accused persons was severely beaten up.
The prosecutor said one of the accused persons pulled out a gun and fired into the crowd, wounding 16 people.
They were rushed to the Tema General Hospital and nine of them were later referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
She said the three accused persons, who were arrested on May 2, were identified by the 16 victims during an identification parade organized by the Tema Regional Police Command on May 3.
ASP Otabil told the court that the used cartridges were found at the scene of the incident but the weapon has not been retrieved yet.
The case she said was still under investigation.
Source: GNA