<<Print>>

One person died during a shoot-out over a land dispute which occurred at Atwima Koforidua in the Ashanti Region last Saturday. Seven others, including an 80-year-old woman who was identified as Maame Ntoaduru and one Diana, sustained various degrees of injury and were treated at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and discharged. The deceased, identified as Akoto, bled profusely and died on the spot after he had been allegedly shot in the chest and legs. Another woman, identified as Alice, and a poultry farmer, identified only as Asiedu, who sustained serious injuries are on admission at the Intensive Care Unit of KATH. A poultry farm said to belong to Asiedu which had about 1,500 birds was set ablaze by the other faction in the conflict. The body of the deceased has been deposited at the KATH mortuary for autopsy, while the police are searching for one Ashanti, suspected to be Akoto�s killer and said to have bolted with his loaded rifle moments after he allegedly shot the deceased. A source at Atwima Koforidua told the Daily Graphic that the incident occurred about 11a.m. on Saturday following a dispute over the land situated at the outskirts of the community. The source said in the course of the quarrel, some people intervened, making it possible for the deceased to take to his heels, with the intention of reporting the incident to family members. It said the suspect was alleged to have chased the deceased to the basic school park where he allegedly shot Akoto in the legs, causing him to fall in the process. The source said the suspect again shot the deceased in the chest at close range, causing him to bleed to death on the spot.