Death At West Hills Mall: Cause Of Death Disclosed

The young man, brother of Ghanaian Gospel musician Perpetual Didier, allegedly died during an encounter with a police officer at the West Hills mall on Monday, January 30, 2023.

The gospel musician who recounted the incident in a viral video alleged the police officer’s action contributed to the death of “innocent” Shadrack who was fit while leaving home for the mall.

But the post-mortem conducted by a police pathologist on Tuesday showed otherwise.

In a viral video, Perpetual Didier, a Ghanaian gospel musician, identified the deceased as Shadrack Arloo.

According to her, he went to the mall and withdrew some money to shop for some items he had to travel with to Germany.

“My brother went to the West Hills Mall to shop. He went to withdraw some money. After that, he met a police officer who asked for his bag for a search. He resisted for fear that the officer might plant illicit drugs in his bag and therefore demanded they proceed to a police station”, she recounted in a Facebook live session on her page.

She continued, “so the police officer physically assaulted him and he fell motionless in the process.”

According to her, the officer further used a taser on him which subsequently led to his death.

“I need justice”, she cried out.

The narration of the series of incidents that led to the death of Shadrack conflicted slightly with that of CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts per a press statement from the management of West Hills Mall.

“West Hills Mall’s 24-hour security surveillance system captured footage of the officer apprehending the young man, as well as another man who accompanied him, as they headed for the main entrance of the mall. In an attempt to handcuff the young man, a struggle between the parties ensued while the police Officer tried to handcuff him.

“He was eventually handcuffed but stopped struggling and appeared unwell after that. The Police subsequently removed the cuffs from his hands, and Mall Security arranged for transportation for him to be taken to the medical facility on-site. Sadly, he was pronounced dead by Medics upon arrival.”

Also, based on eyewitness accounts, the management of the mall gathered that Shadrack was approached by the officer and asked to present his bag for a search.

It continued, “the Police Officer ostensibly suspected the customer, a young man between 25 and 30 years, of possessing drugs or banned substances. The accounts indicate that the young man hesitated, removed something from his bag and swallowed it as the policeman approached him”.

Allegations that the deceased was tased were not corroborated by the management of the mall.

Following the circulation of the video, the Police Service released a statement to announce an investigation into the allegations.

In the course of the investigations, one Osei Kwame Boafo, a private security guard at the West Hills Mall who was alleged to have used a taser on the deceased was arrested.

As part of the investigations, a post-mortem was conducted by a police pathologist- after the family of the deceased approved- on February 7, 2023.

The test was conducted in the presence of some family members of the deceased as well as their lawyer, Hon Francis Xavier Sosu and the pathologist of the accused.

“The pathologist gave the verbal cause of death as Asphyxiation and Obstruction of the airway by a foreign body.”

In the course of the examination, the police statement said, eight (8) zipped bags containing dry leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs tied in a piece of black polythene were retrieved and tested positive for cannabis after it was submitted for forensic examination in the presence of all the interested parties.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini