An eyewitness to Thursday’s shooting in the Labone area of Accra has described how a police pursuit of suspected robbers escalated into a prolonged exchange of gunfire.

Quamhi Zhanhi, a bicycle rider at Palace Mall in Labone, told Asaase News that he initially noticed several motorcycle riders on the streets before realising that police officers were pursuing them.

“I saw a lot of motorcycle riders on the streets before I realised there were police behind them. In less than two minutes, I heard gunshots,” he said on 13 August.

According to Zhanhi, the gunfire continued for what he estimated was between 20 and 25 minutes.

He said he took a different route to catch up with the pursuit and found that the suspected robbers had already been apprehended by the time he arrived.

“The shooting started from the same robbery,” he said.

Zhanhi said vehicles allegedly used by the suspects were also damaged during the incident.

He said residents and other bystanders began recording the incident on their phones because they were uncertain about what was happening and wanted to preserve evidence.

“As a citizen, we don’t know what is happening, so we decided to video what was happening because if an issue comes, there’s a need for evidence,” he said.

However, he said the situation became tense when the suspected robbers allegedly demanded that people hand over their phones.

“I got slapped on the back of my head,” he said.

The eyewitness account comes after the Ghana Police Service said it had foiled a robbery attempt at GCB Bank in Labone, with two suspects killed and another arrested.

GCB Bank, however, has denied that its Labone branch was targeted, saying no robbery or attempted robbery occurred on its premises and that no customer, staff member, funds or bank property was affected.

The police are yet to provide a detailed account of the incident, including the identities of the suspects and the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Further details are expected from the police as investigations continue.