General News of Friday, 20 April 2018

Source: dailyguideafrica.com

Cop killed in Doblo crash

The late Sergeant Owusu Appiah The late Sergeant Owusu Appiah

Sergeant Owusu Appiah, a 44-year-old police officer attached to the Formed Police Unit (FPU), has died in a car accident at the Doblo Barrier on the Amasaman–Nsawam Road.

The driver of a Hyundai Getz taxi knocked down the police officer, who was on duty at the Doblo barrier on Wednesday night.

He passed away the following day whilst being transported from the Police Hospital to the Korle-Bu Hospital for further treatment.

The driver of the Hyundai Getz taxi with registration number ER 871-18 abandoned the vehicle at the scene and bolted after the act.

An eyewitness account indicated that the driver was heading towards Nsawam from Amasaman.

Upon reaching Doblo barrier, the eyewitness said the taxi driver attempted to overtake a Toyota Corolla private car in front of him, but he damaged the left side mirror of the vehicle in the process.

Both drivers of the vehicles parked in the middle of the road and argued over the matter which attracted the attention of Sergeant Owusu.

The police officer approached the two drivers and in an attempt to help calm tempers and remove the vehicles from the road to pave way for others, the taxi driver got infuriated and suddenly moved his car towards the policeman.

“He dragged the policeman into the ditch, abandoned the vehicle and bolted,” the witness narrated.

Some police officers rushed him to the Amasaman Government Hospital, but he was referred to the Police Hospital for further medical treatment.

Confirming the story to DAILY GUIDE, the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), ASP Efia Tenge, when contacted, confirmed the death of the police officer, which occurred yesterday dawn.

She said at about 9pm on Wednesday, a distress call was received by the Agyen Kotoku Police about an accident at the Doblo barrier.

A patrol team was dispatched to the scene and preliminary investigations revealed that the taxi driver had carelessly knocked down Sergeant Owusu Appiah, who was on duty at the barrier.

The deceased was rushed to the Amasaman Hospital but later referred to the Police Hospital for further treatment.

She noted that Sergeant Owusu passed on at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, adding that the driver has not been arrested.

Sergeant Owusu Appiah, 44, was enlisted into the Ghana Police Service on May 5, 2003.

He was first posted to the Central Police Band in January 2004 but a year later, he was transferred to Sunyani Band.

In 2009, he was transferred to the CID headquarters and subsequently to the Transport Unit, headquarters in 2012.

On October 3, 2016, Sergeant Owusu was transferred to the Formed Police Unit in Accra.

He left behind a wife and five children.