Father Kills Daughter With Hail Of Bullets

Juliet Yaa Boatemaa

A 60-YEAR-old father who allegedly shot and killed his 16-year-old daughter at New Suame, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, is in the grips of the Suame Divisional Police Command.

Opanin Akwasi Mensah, a key member of the Suame watchdog committee, purportedly shot and killed Juliet Yaa Boatemaa, his biological daughter, on Monday around 8.30 pm.

After allegedly shooting her in the lower abdomen, the advanced-in-age volunteer, DAILY GUIDE gathered, hurriedly rushed his daughter to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for medical attention, in the hope of saving her life.

Unfortunately, the form-two student of the Suame Methodist Junior High School (JHS) failed to respond to treatment, as she passed away in the early hours of Tuesday.

A scan taken by doctors at the emergency department of KATH revealed that the deceased had a whopping 36 bullets in her lower abdomen.

Briefing DAILY GUIDE on the regrettable incident, the Suame divisional crime officer, DSP Kwaku Duah, said his outfit had information on Monday evening that a certain man had shot his daughter at New Suame and taken her to KATH for treatment.

Having received the information, he indicated that his outfit speedily dispatched men to KATH to verify the information, after which the suspect was arrested and detained.

According to the divisional crime officer, the 60-year-old volunteer was returning from a security duty at a church in the vicinity at about 8.30 pm when he spotted his daughter on the way.

Immediately he sighted the deceased, DSP Duah said the suspect, who did not want his children to be seen outside during unholy hours, quickly held his daughter's hands with the intention of taking her home.

Unwilling to go home with her father, the divisional crime officer narrated that the deceased tried to free herself from the man's grips, which resulted in a struggle between the two.

In the ensuing struggle, DSP Duah noted that a fully-loaded single barrel gun, which the suspect was holding at the time, accidentally fell to the ground, going off, with multiple bullets catching the deceased on the lower abdomen.

He stated that the gun in question, which was a registered one with genuine registration documents, had been retrieved and was currently in the custody of the police.

Realizing that he had shot his daughter, the suspect, according to the divisional crime officer, swiftly hired a taxi and rushed the deceased to KATH for medical attention.

DSP Duah stated that the hope of the suspect to save his daughter's life was dashed as Yaa Boatemaa died.

He explained that Opanin Akwasi Mensah, who has 12 children, had been very helpful to the police and always warned his children not go out after 7.00 pm.

The divisional crime officer pointed out that the deceased in particular, had persistently refused to heed the warning of her father, as she continuously went out any time her father was out for guard duties.

Noting that investigations were ongoing, the divisional crime officer disclosed that the suspect would be arraigned on Wednesday, for the court to remand him so that investigations could progress without a hindrance.

According to DSP Duah, the suspect will be facing a provisional charge of murder, pointing out that the docket will be sent to the Attorney General's Department for advice when investigations are complete.

GRIEF
It was an atmosphere of grief when DAILY GUIDE visited the residence of the deceased at New Suame on Tuesday morning, as mourners who had gathered there wept uncontrollably.

The deceased person's mother, Madam Afia Konadu and siblings, could not control themselves, as they wailed bitterly in memory of their departed relation.

Amid sobs, the 53-year-old mother told DAILY GUIDE that she was asleep in their room when people came to inform her that her husband had shot their 16-year-old daughter.

Madam Konadu said she quickly came out and saw a large crowd in front of the house discussing the unfortunate incident.

She observed that when she enquired about the whereabouts of Yaa Boatemaa and her father, she was told that her husband had rushed the deceased to KATH for treatment.

“I immediately set off to KATH to see my daughter and when I got there I saw her lying on the bed in excruciating pain,” the terrified mother observed amid sobs.

Madam Konadu said she stayed at the hospital overnight till Tuesday morning when doctors informed her that her daughter had died.

She said she was trying to come to terms with what had happened to the family because her husband was a responsible man who, in his right senses, would never shoot any of their children.

“I am finding it difficult to understand what had happened because among my 12 children, my husband is very fond of the deceased more than any of them,” Madam Konadu stated.

She said because she was not feeling well, immediately her husband left home for his security duty, she instructed the deceased to wash her clothes, after which she went to bed.

“I thought my daughter was washing the clothes so when I heard that she had been shot, I was shocked to the marrow and could not believe my ears,” Madam Konadu disclosed.

Bemoaning the incarceration of her beloved husband, she said she was finding it difficult to cope with the present situation because plans were even far advanced for their wedding.

In solidarity with their incarcerated father, the suspect's children also told DAILY GUIDE that they believed the incident was purely accidental because their father was not the type who could even kill a fowl intentionally.

From Morgan Owusu, Kumasi