Stray bullet kills boy, 16, after Eid prayers

A sixteen-year-old boy, Abdul Garfar Kasim, died at Aboabo Number 2 in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, July 20, when he was hit by a stray bullet, shortly after the Eid-ul-Adha prayers.
The boy was later pronounced dead on arrival at the Manhyia Government Hospital.

Another person who sustained gunshot wounds is currently on admission at the same hospital.

According to an eyewitness, Mr Seidu Muhammed, as soon as the prayers came to an end; the worshippers, as was usually the case, engaged in all forms of jubilations, including dancing to music from loud speakers, displaying with motorbikes, amid wild gymnastics.

The displays, he said, attracted a large crowd of people to the area.

Mr Muhammed explained that in the process, a group of gun-wielding youth in the area brandishing their weapons fired shots as part of the Eid-ul-Adha festivities thereby killing the boy.

Confirmation

An uncle to the deceased, Mr Sulemana Umar, confirmed his nephew’s death to the Daily Graphic.

Narrating the incident, he said, as soon as they closed from the mosque, Garfar, who was with him and some other family members during the prayers, could not be found.

“We later got a call from a neighbour that Garfar has been killed by a stray bullet and has been rushed to the Manhyia Government Hospital,” he told the Daily Graphic in a sombre voice.

He said, together with some family members, they moved to the hospital and found the remains of “our beloved son”.

In accordance with Islamic tenets, the body of the deceased has been handed over to the family for burial.

Meanwhile, the police have begun investigations into the incident and increased their presence within the Asokore Mampong Municipality to help apprehend the perpetrators.