Santchou: Trigger-happy gendarme opens fire on vehicle, kills teenager.

The young boy killed was said to be travelling with his parents.As to what provoked the incident, sources recounted that the driver of the vehicle in question was unable to present papers of a bicycle that was tied on the car.

The Guardian Post learnt that the driver of Land Rover vehicle, matriculated LT 595 FN, had stopped for checks and after presenting all documents which were in order, the uniformed officer requested for papers of the bicycle which they were traveling with.

The owner of the car and his wife are said to have told the gendarme officer that they hadn’t any papers for the bicycle. We gathered that it was in the course of the heated exchanges that the driver attempted driving off.

Sources say it was at that moment that the uniformed officer opened fire, shattering the windscreen of the vehicle from the back.

Eyewitness accounts have it that a bullet from his second shot, struck the child on the head, killing him instantly. The gendarme officer is said to have fired the third shot at the tyres, immobilising the vehicle. 

Incident provokes uproar

The shooting to death of the boy provoked an outburst from the population of the Santchou community, who stormed the control post, threatening to lynch the officers on duty.

They are said to have taken the corpse of the young boy to the Santchou District Hospital while demanding for justice.

A video which went viral on social media, showed irate individuals voicing out their frustrations, with some of them brandishing 500 FCFA notes to security officers.

This to them, meant the police and gendarme officers, value the money they collect during road controls more than human life.

Victim’s mother reportedly dies from shock

Douala-based private television channel, Equinoxe, reported that the young boy’s mother, who had a stroke upon receiving the news, also died at the hospital.

The irate population barricaded the road and refused to give in to pleas by local authorities to let circulation continue. 

They also stormed the Santchou Gendarmerie Brigade, demanding the departure of the Commander and his elements, whom they accused of several wrongdoings in the locality.

The Santchou population asked to have the Governor of the West Region, Awa Fonka Augustine, on ground, arguing that repeated excesses of uniformed officers in the area are unacceptable. 

The road linking Dschang in the West Region and Melong in the Littoral, passing through Santchou, remained blocked for the most part of yesterday.

Brutality against civilians by members of the security forces is not a novelty in Cameroon, with some of them said to be facing several accusations of brutalising, maltreating and exploiting civilians and road users.

The government has also been criticised for overlooking the excesses of the police and gendarmes. Observers say this has empowered some of these elements to overstep their bounds.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Issue No:3159 of Friday July 5, 2024