By Lamin Njie
The Gambia Armed Forces said Tuesday the soldier who shot Ismaila Tamba was trying to shoot out the tyres of the vehicle of the Kanilai native.
Mr Tamba was shot at a military checkpoint in Kanilai on Sunday in a lethal force encounter that has stunned the nation.
On Tuesday, the Gambian army issued a statement saying Tamba drove through a military checkpoint without stopping.
“The driver (Tamba) was challenged by the soldier on sentry duty to stop the vehicle and return back to the check point for the routine search procedure as required. However, the driver failed to do so and attempted to drive away. In an apparent attempt to disable the tyre of the vehicle, the soldier on sentry duty shot at the vehicle thereby resulting to the injury of the driver on his back,” the army said in a statement signed by its deputy spokesperson Malick Sanyang.
“The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Gambia Armed Forces Lieutenant General Masanneh N Kinteh deeply regrets the incident and commiserates with the injured driver and his family. Meanwhile, the CDS has immediately ordered an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident.
“The Gambia Armed Forces hereby reassures the general public to exercise restraint while investigations are being carried out.”
