The Ghana Police Service has apprehended a thirty-four year old small-scale miner in connection with a fatal shooting incident at a mining site located near Tarkwa in the Western Region. Reports from 3News indicate that the violence erupted following a heated disagreement regarding the sharing of gold proceeds between the suspect and his deceased business partner.
According to accounts provided by local residents to Citi Newsroom journalists environmental tensions and financial disputes are frequent within the artisanal mining sector of the region. The victim allegedly died at the scene before medical assistance could be secured while the suspect was subsequently moved to the Tarkwa divisional police headquarters for interrogation.
A formal statement from the Ghana Police Service confirms that investigators recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the commission of the crime. Police officials stated that the suspect will remain in preventative detention while they finalize the docket for the Attorney General department to provide legal advice on the murder charges.
The Tarkwa Circuit Court is expected to hear the initial application for remand this week as the investigation continues into the exact circumstances of the confrontation. GhanaWeb reports that several witnesses who were present at the mining site during the altercation have already provided written statements to the police investigators to assist with the prosecution of the case.