Tag: Dead

The queen mother of Akyem Chia Nana Ntiamoah Boadiwaa Chia III says the traditional authority suspects foul play in the death of their Kontihene, who was found dead in a guest house in Koforidua.

Contrary to media reports that the traditional leader, Eric Osei Ansere, had taken a lady to the guest house to have sex with her, the queen-mother refuted that.

According to her, the scene did not depict any act of sex as reported by some media houses.

She told Kwabena Agyapong on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5. Fm that the traditional authorities suspect he was murdered.

The traditional leader was found dead in a guest house in the Eastern Region.

The deceased is said to have arrived at the guest house with a young lady on Saturday, December 19, 2020.

His lifeless body was however found in one of the rooms the next day at about 12pm, while the lady, believed to be about 25 years, was nowhere to be found.

According to the Effiduase District police, the owner of the guest house, Mr William made the report to the police on Sunday after a cleaner found the man lying lifeless in the room.

Reacting to the report, the story does not add u and believes the police would investigate the matter to its logical conclusion.

She also disclosed the late chief who was sick went to Koforidua to seek medical treatment.

She said the chief had some medical condition which he was treated for but had been better.

Source: rainbowradioonline.com

The managing editor of the New Punch newspaper, Ebenezer Ato Sam, popularly known as Baby Ansaba is reported dead.

According to Daily Guide reports, he died around 11am today at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after battling a short illness.

He died at age 57 and hails from Ajumako Beseadze in the Central Region.

Baby Ansaba was based at Kasoa in the Central Region at the time of his death.

The astute journalist trained at the Ghana Institute of Journalism and graduated in the year 1991.

Meanwhile, Ato Sam begun his career with the Daily Graphic, Free Press, Daily Guide and until his death was the Managing Editor of the New Punch newspaper.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The family of the late Penciled Celebrities artist, Ray Styles will on Friday, October 9, observe his one week memorial.

In a flier circulating on social media, the event will come off at the Transitions Funeral House at Haatso in Accra.

It will take place between 3:00pm and 8:00pm.

Mr Styles died on Thursday, October 1, 2020, after months of battle with liver cancer. 

Pictures of the talented artist looking sick and helpless had hit social media in August 2020, drawing attention to his urgent need for surgery.

According to sources, Emmanuel Apraku was in need of £40,000 to cater for both his surgery and treatment.

Through the collaborative effort of social media users and celebrities, his family was able to raise funds beyond the targeted £40,000 needed for the surgery.

But he allegedly died after being transferred to India for treatment three weeks ago.

Biography of Emmanuel Apraku

Born in 1989, the 31-year old was the youngest of four siblings. He was raised solely by his mother, after the death of his father, Mr. Paul Apraku when he was eight years old.

Spending his primary years at Accra New Town Experimental School, he attended Accra Academy between 2003 to 2006 where he earned the nickname Ray Styles.

He then proceeded to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Art, and graduated with a bachelor of art degree in communication design.

Being the son of a great craftsman, Ray attributes his natural flair to his late father who in his time created a lot of artworks for exhibition.

This influenced him to start drawing at a very young age and eventually landing commissions.

But it was not until his days as a Communications Student at KNUST that he realised his true potential as an artist and subsequently defined his own unique style in the form of caricature, pencil art, traditional drawing, and graphic design.

He has also worked with great celebrities such as Josh Ostrovsky (know as thefatjewish), Michael Blackson, Chris Bosh, Tolu Lope (known as dontjealousme), DeStorm Power (known as destorm), KingBach, Mrcocoyam, D Black, Edem, and Malin Björk just to mention a few.

He is also an avid keyboardist and footballer and loves to listen to good music.

Among other things, Ray Styles was known for actively supporting numerous social awareness campaigns through his art.

Source: myjoyonline

Ghanaian artiste, Emmanuel Apraku popularly known as Ray Styles is reportedly dead.

This was announced by television and radio personality, Giovanni Caleb today on his Twitter page.

The death of the artist follows months of battle with liver cancer.

Pictures of the talented artist looking sick and helpless had hit social media in August 2020, drawing attention to his urgent need for surgery.

According to sources, Emmanuel Apraku was in need of £40,000 to undergo urgent surgery.

While a gofundme account was set up on Wednesday, August 19 to raise $55,000 to support Emmanuel, a tweet via his handle said the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo had donated $20,000 to help cover the cost of the amount needed. 

Source: myjoyonline

A routine cleaning of a storage well within MV Africa Star, a fishing vessel belonging to the Africa Star Fisheries Limited, has allegedly led to the death of a 27-year-old man, Elvis Otoo, at the Tema Fishing Harbour.

In the quiet darkness of an early morning last November, Clive Mensah stepped outside his Toronto-area home for the last time.

Before long, police cruisers descended on the area. Officers rushed into Mensah’s backyard, taking him down with a stun gun.

About an hour later, the 30-year-old was dead.

What happened between the moment Mensah left his home and the moment he died is unclear.

For the last eight months, Stephen Boakye has been privately reliving the nightmare of his nephew’s final moments.

He and his family have watched with a knowing horror as the stories of Black and Indigenous people and people of colour killed in encounters with police in Canada and the U.S. have made headlines.

“What happened in America, George Floyd… Look at that, it’s the same thing. It’s like Clive’s memory came back and I was experiencing it,” Boakye said.

All the while, his nephew’s story has remained untold — until now.

Mensah’s uncles Stephen Boakye, left, and William Owusu, right, were the only family members he had in Canada. (Jonathan Castell/CBC)

On a recent sunny afternoon, just steps away from what was Mensah’s home, Boakye broke his silence, along with another of Mensah’s uncles, William Owusu — the only family members Mensah had in Canada.

Since Mensah’s death on Nov. 20, 2019, his uncles say they’ve heard almost nothing from investigators, and are desperate for answers about why their nephew, a young, unarmed Black man with a history of mental illness, was fatally Tasered in his own backyard — and why no one, to date, has been held accountable.

Desperate for answers

Born in Scarborough in 1989, Mensah spent much of his childhood in Ghana. Described by his family as a gentle giant, he took his Christianity seriously and loved basketball as well as music.

At 18, he returned to Canada with his mother. Soon after, she moved back to the West African country. Mensah ended up living alone, but by all accounts he was faring well.

Tragedy would soon follow. In 2015, Mensah’s father died in Ghana. The following year, his mother died, too.

“That had an effect on him,” said Owusu.

It was around that time that Mensah’s family believes his life began to unravel. In September 2015, he was charged in a robbery and pleaded guilty to theft and assault.

Mensah’s parents, pictured here, died in fairly quick succession in 2015 and 2016. His family believes it is around this time that his life took a turn for the worse. (Jonathan Castell/CBC)

A medical report from the same year indicates Mensah’s mental state began deteriorating in mid-2014. He was taken to the hospital several times under the Mental Health Act, often unable to remember his own name and was “frequently observed speaking loudly to himself.”

The psychiatrist’s conclusion: Mensah was suffering from an “unspecified psychotic disorder,” possibly schizophrenia.

But on the surface, there were few signs of trouble. Mensah had found work, through part-time jobs at grocery stores. Most recently, he was driving a forklift at a warehouse.

“We knew nothing about his being ill mentally until I think he was taken to hospital for diagnosis, and then we found out. But when he was taking his medication, he was doing marvellously well,” Owusu said.

Police called for noise complaint

Whether Mensah was suffering a mental health episode on the night of his death is unclear.

Here’s what is known: Peel Regional Police were called to Runningbrook Drive in Mississauga around 3:15 a.m. on Nov. 20 for reports of a “suspicious male causing a disturbance.”

One resident told CBC News at the time that shortly before police arrived, there was a commotion and yelling coming from a nearby parkette.

About an hour later, another resident called police after seeing “a fellow running up and down the street, screaming and hollering.”

“I thought he was going to break in,” resident Jim Tingley told CBC News at the time.

Mensah’s family believes he was jogging the night of his death, singing to himself as he loved to do. But whether it was Mensah who Tingley saw is unclear.

Ontario’s police watchdog said officers found a man in a backyard in the area and “a struggle ensued.”

“Several use-of-force options were used, including the deployment of a conducted energy weapon,” said Special Investigations Unit spokesperson Monica Hudon.

Mensah was taken to hospital by paramedics, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 4 a.m.

Tasered 6 times, paramedics delayed

Boakye was asleep at his home in Etobicoke when he was awoken by a phone call from the hospital, telling him to come quickly.

When he arrived, he says, a nurse and doctor took him to a room where Mensah was attached to tubes.

“It was then that they told me he’s dead,” Boakye said.

Hospital records from that night indicate Mensah was “Tased approximately six times” and was found by paramedics lying on the ground, handcuffed.

The report also notes a “delay” in reaching Mensah, adding “police cruisers blocked roadway to scene,” with paramedics having to park some 15 to 18 metres away.

As Mensah lay dead on the stretcher in front of him, Boakye recalls a nurse telling him, “Your nephew was a big guy.”

“In my mind I was asking myself, ‘Is it because he’s a big guy you have to Tase him just like that?’” Boakye said.

Since that night, just one of the three officers involved in Mensah’s death has spoken with investigators, the SIU has told CBC News. The other two have so far refused.

Under Ontario’s Police Services Act, “subject officers cannot be legally compelled to present themselves for an interview with the SIU and they do not have to submit their notes,” said Hudon.

Growing anger over racism in policing

For now, the investigation into Mensah’s death continues, with the SIU awaiting his post-mortem and toxicology reports.

Meanwhile, questions plague his family.

“Had it been that he was a white boy, singing on the road, jogging, would they kill him? Would they Tase him?” asked Owusu, who believes racism directly contributed to his nephew’s death.

Owusu has joined a growing chorus of voices demanding answers for what they say is a disturbing pattern of deaths at the hands of Peel Regional Police involving people of colour.

Asked about the possibility that racism played a role in Mensah’s death or about racism in the force more generally, Peel Police spokesperson Heather Cannon said in a statement the investigation is ongoing, and once complete will undergo an “administrative review.”

“We expect every one of our officers to conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner at all times,” she said, adding members of the public with complaints about police interactions can submit them to the Office of the Independent Police Review Director.

If no charges are laid against any of the officers involved, Toronto lawyer Emily Lam intends to call on the coroner to consider systemic racism as a factor in Mensah’s death, a move she believes is “very rare.”

“Our client would like to understand the factors that resulted in their nephew Mr. Mensah’s death,” said Lam, who is representing the family.

“I think it’s also important for the public to understand the shortcomings of a system and the factors that may have contributed to the deaths of other civilians… And to hopefully prevent these tragedies from happening again.”

Calls for coroner to consider racism in death

In a statement to CBC News, the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario said a coroner “can only determine the cause and manner of death from a medical standpoint.”

If, however, through interviews the coroner believes racism played a role in a death, that information would be provided to police. Racism has previously been included in the scope of coroners’ inquests, which can produce non-binding recommendations meant to prevent further deaths.

But the coroner’s office conceded “it is impossible to say when, how often, how long” coroners have been reporting on race or racism.

Toronto lawyer Asha James believes that in the current context, an inquest probing prejudice in policing would be particularly valuable, especially given how often police have to deal with people experiencing a mental-health crisis.

“Systemic racism in policing in our society, and how that affects officers’ perceptions and beliefs about individuals that they’re interacting with, is definitely important in understanding things such as the ability to de-escalate situations,” James said. “Hopefully it’s something that we can lead police services to try to start to change.”

Standing in front of the home where his nephew took his last breath, Boakye’s mind travels back to the moment he came to collect Mensah’s belongings.

“I feel very sad that he left us,” he said. “I hope we receive justice for what has happened to my nephew.”

“They have no right whatsoever to take his life,” added Owusu. “You are there to serve  and protect. Not to serve and to kill.”

Source: cbc.ca

A 4-year-old boy who had been missing for about one week was found dead inside a parked vehicle in front of the Atafoa Palace in the Suame Municipality in the Ashanti region.

After an extensive search for him, the deceased, Agyemang, was found unconscious and rotten in a car parked in front of the Atafoa Palace yesterday between the hours of 2pm

The Assembly Member for the Atafoa Electoral Area, Akwasi Acheampong disclosed this to Kingdom News today.

He said, according to the family, Agyemang left the house to buy Indomie about a week ago which he never return back home until his lifeless body was found.

According to the Assembly Member of the area, two suspects were arrested by the Suame Police Command earlier but have been discharged.

He further disclosed that, the Suame Police Command has commenced investigations into the death of the four-year-old boy who was found dead in a parked vehicle at Atafoa Palace premises yesterday.

Source: kingdomfmonline.com