The surviving police officer of an alleged attack by Johnson Kombian � the notorious armed robber and his accomplice � of police officers around the Napkanduri Scarp in the Northern Region leading to the death of two of them, yesterday testified before an Accra Fast Track High Court that the accused shot at them.
Corporal Osei Bonsu, who arrived in court in crutches and seemed to be in pain as he moved, told the court at the trial of Kombian that he saw the accused and another person shoot at his deceased colleague, Cpl Prince Agyare, who fell down.
Witness also told the court presided over by Justice Mustapha Habib Logoh, that initially they did not know who was shooting at them, but when Agyare went to seek help and was returning he (witness) saw Kombian and another person shoot Agyare.
Corporal Osei Bonsu said these when he gave his evidence-in-chief under cross-examination by Mrs. Marina Appiah, a principal state attorney.
Witness maintained that Kombian could not see them but he and his colleague were able to see everything that went on.
The police officer, who said he worked at the Bunkprugu Yunyoo Police Station in 2010, stated that he knew the suspect and that he had met him at a fitting shop sometime back. He revealed that Kombian had a motorbike which he often used.
He stated that on October 10, 2010, he, together with his two colleagues � Cpls Agyare and Owusu Frimpong � went to the Napkanduri Scarp area because it was a place armed robbers often attacked traders who travelled between Sankasi and Togo to buy and sell goods.
According to him, he picked his colleagues on a motorbike to the place around 5:30 am when the last bus left the area, adding that while they were on the motorbike they were shot at from a distance of about 500 meters, and Frimpong was hit in his left arm in the process.
The witness disclosed that he was also hit in the left thigh and arm as a result of which he lost control of the motorbike and fell off it, claiming that they had to run to safety.
The police officer, who now works at the Cantonments Police Station, said it was when Agyare was returning to them that they saw the two persons shoot him, leaving him dead.
Cpl Bonsu said that their colleagues from the station arrived later and they were all taken to the Nalerigu Baptist Medical Centre where he was later told that he would be transferred to Accra due to his condition. He said he was subsequently taken to Tamale and later sent to Accra.
According to the witness, he later learnt that Frimpong had also died.
Under cross-examination by counsel for the accused person, the witness denied he was in pain and so was concentrating on his pain, adding that as a police officer, he had been trained to endure pain.
The case has been adjourned to May 8, 2014.
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