A community celebration descended into chaos on Friday following reports that police officers shot and disarmed an armed traditional leader during a tense standoff at the Agona Amenfi Chief’s Palace in the Amenfi Central District of the Western Region.
The individual in question, reportedly a local royal, was allegedly dressed in traditional attire adorned with charms and armed with a cutlass when he reportedly attacked a palace messenger dispatched to retrieve a ceremonial hoe for a sod-cutting ceremony.
According to eyewitness accounts, traditional authorities, community leaders, and residents had convened for the inauguration of a new maternity ward project when the incident unfolded.
Reports suggest that the suspect obstructed the messenger’s entry into the palace and allegedly inflicted multiple cutlass wounds upon him during the confrontation.
Police officers who arrived at the scene reportedly attempted to persuade the armed individual to surrender peacefully, but he allegedly refused, leading to a protracted standoff.
Following several unsuccessful attempts to disarm him, police officers reportedly shot the suspect in the hand, enabling them to overpower and arrest him.
Both the injured messenger and the suspect were subsequently transported for medical treatment, and investigations into the incident are currently underway.
