Lawyer for the family of the 32-year-old man who died during an arrest at the West Hills Mall, Francis-Xavier Sosu, has accused the Ghana Police Service of engaging in a cover-up.
The police, in a statement on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, disclosed that following a post-mortem examination conducted on the body in the presence of the bereaved family and their lawyer Francis-Xavier Sosu and some relatives of the accused, the cause of death was given as asphyxiation and obstruction of the airway by a foreign body.
The police pathologist retrieved from the throat of the deceased eight (8) zipped bags containing dry leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs tied in a piece of black polythene.
The retrieved, suspected narcotic substances tested positive for cannabis when submitted for forensic examination in the presence of all the interested parties.
However, reacting to the statement, lawyer Sosu questioned why the police were failing to conduct an expansive probe into the death of the young man.
“I think that this conversation goes beyond irregularities because I was personally there when the autopsy was done. And so, it is not about regularity or irregularity or how the autopsy was conducted. It is about a police attempt to basically mislead everybody and take themselves out of criminal liability. And so, if the family is crying and the family is dissatisfied, that is the reason.
“Because there are video footages of police officers handcuffing this young man, putting him on the ground. He was beaten, and yet a simple cause of death is saying it is only because of the suffocation. In criminal justice, we have other links, which is why we have people in murder trials. You could have people who may have abated the crime, people who may have contributed in some way. So, the fact that police are refusing to conduct an expansive investigation into the death of the young man is where the issue is,” he said on Starr FM.
He continued: “Because you know what, autopsy report, medical examination, that gives you the cause of death is only an opinion to any jury trying a suspect of either murder or manslaughter. It would go beyond only what the medical doctor will say about the medical cause of death. And so, the issue is more expansive than a simple question as to whether the autopsy was regular or irregular.”
Background
Shadrach Arloo, 32, died at the West Hills Mall following an altercation with private security guards and a police officer who were trying to search his bag.
He was allegedly beaten and tased to death by one of the said men when he resisted their advances, according to some eyewitnesses.