Girl, 7, killed in accident

A SEVEN-year-old girl, Vera Naa Larko Laryea, was reported dead after being hit by a BMW saloon car, with registration number GW 8133 R and driven by a police officer, on the First Light-Flamingo road in Accra yesterday.
Vera, according to his brother, Shedrach Laryea, was returning from Sunday School at the Mataheko J.T. Primary School when the accident occurred.
Eyewitnesses at the scene of the accident alleged that the police officer (name withheld by the police), overlooked the traffic light which had turned red and drove through it at top speed, killing Vera instantly.
When contacted, Inspector J. Asherowu of the Kaneshie Divisional Police said he and three others were on patrol when they saw a mob on the verge of attacking the police officer who had hit Vera.
"On reaching the scene, we saw a mob who had gathered around the BMW, the officer and the victim, who lay on the ground. We did not know whether the child was dead or not so as part of our duty to protect the lives of citizens and their property, we had to ward the mob off and when they refused I fired two warning shots to ward them off," he stated.
He explained that after unsuccessful calls for an ambulance from the Kaneshie Police, the patrol team, together with two relatives of Vera’s, took the deceased to the Police Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Inspector Asherowu said he and his colleagues returned to the accident scene to move the car to the station but they realised that the mob had deflated its tyres and even wanted to cause further damage to it.
He said they then advised the suspect to report himself at the Kaneshie Police Station and he heeded their advice.
When the Daily Graphic visited the Kaneshie Police Station around midday yesterday, the suspect was behind bars.
The Station Officer at the Kaneshie Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Chief Inspector Samuel Amoani, said the police received a call on the accident and followed up to the scene to ascertain the cause of the accident.
"At the scene, we met some family members of the deceased, spoke with them and also listened to accounts of eyewitnesses at the scene," he said, and added that the police were yet to question the suspect, who would assist them in further investigations.

Caption:
Pix: 1 The BMW saloon car that hit the deceased, killing her instantly.
Pix: 2 An eyewitness (hands stretched) explaining how the accident occurred to the Dansoman District Police Commander, ASP Yartey Tawiah, who was at the scene to find out the cause of the accident.
Next to him is Inspector J. Asherowu of the Kaneshie Divisional Police.