Panic erupted around the Agip Junction, Ada George area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday evening after a yet-to-be-identified police officer allegedly shot dead a man and injured three others.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 5pm after the deceased, who was driving a vehicle, allegedly failed to stop when he was flagged down by police officers stationed around the Agip by Ada George Junction.
An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, told journalists that one of the officers allegedly opened fire on the vehicle after the driver refused to stop, reports Daily Independent.
According to the eyewitness, the bullet hit the driver in the chest, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, ramming his vehicle on bystanders.
He said, “This evening, at about 5pm, the police officers close to Agip/Ada George Junction stopped a man who was driving, but he refused to stop. So, the policeman shot him from behind, and the bullet pierced his chest. He died.
“The police officer fired three bullets.The vehicle lost control and hit three other people.
“The man died at a hospital close to the junction. We do not know the chances of the survival of the other three people. I don’t know why a policeman would fire a gun at a citizen who was not armed.
“After shooting the driver, he started shooting sporadically in an attempt to escape. Some youths rushed at him, collected the gun from him and started beating him. While they were beating the policeman, other police officers arrived and rescued him.”
The incident reportedly caused tension in the area, as youths were said to have confronted the police officer and disarmed him before other officers arrived and took him away.
When contacted for confirmation, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, ASP Blessing Agabe, promised to revert to our correspondent, but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
