Gun control and racial crimes are some of the most topical issues in the United States of America in the last few years, the former more than the latter.
Mass shootings, racially or religiously motivated gun attacks have always brought to the fore how the country should treat guns in private hands but before the politicians agree on anything, the next attacker or assailant strikes.
Ghanaian immigrants and or Ghanaian Americans have been victims of gun violence in the last few years, GhanaWeb tracking shows that three Ghanaians have so far been killed in the US this year alone.
They are:
May 2023 - Ghanaian cab driver murdered by three teenagers in New Jersey
A cab driver was shot and killed by a group of young teenagers during a robbery incident in New Jersey, with police identifying the victim as 57-year-old Ghanaian immigrant, Koffi Addo.
Addo came to the U.S. from Ghana in 2006 determined to work hard — and he did, six days a week, driving a school bus by day, a taxi by night. On the night he died, three teenagers reportedly called All Brunswick Taxi and said they needed a ride to the movie theaters. But evidently, their motives were much more sinister.
"He was a beautiful soul to be taken away from us so soon. He had so much more on this Earth to do," said his widow, Kecia Banks.
Addo had done so much already, having brought his two sons here from Ghana to give them a better life. He also worked to send money back to his village to help others do the same.
He was behind the wheel of his taxi the night of May 18 when he got the call to come to a quiet block of Franklin Township — unaware that three teenagers, just 13 and 14 years old, allegedly lay in wait.
The three teenagers who are charged with killing him are in juvenile detention. His widow, an educator, said that despite her family’s pain, she prays for them.
"Those are someone’s babies and my heart goes out to their families as well. I pray they have strength," said Banks.
February 2023 - Ghanaian-American councilwoman killed in New Jersey
The New Jersey Republican Party (NJGOP) in the United States issued a statement confirming the murder of one of its members, Councilwoman, Eunice Dwumfuor, a Ghanaian-American.
According to multiple reports by news portals in the US, the 30-year-old, from Sayreville, New Jersey, was found inside her car with multiple gunshot wounds just before 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 1, 2023.
The police have since said they believe she was the intended target of the shooting, but they do not have a clear motive, the report added.
Eunice Dwumfour, who was a business analyst and part-time EMT, is said to have been elected to the council in 2021.
January 2023 - Ghanaian-American soldier killed at Alabama military base
A Ghanaian-American family based in the US is mourning the passing of their son who died under strange circumstances at a military base in Alabama.
According to the military, the 21-year-old soldier, Pvt. Abdul-Nafsu Latifu was killed in an “altercation with another soldier” at the Alabama Army post, Fort Rucker where he was training to become an Army air traffic control operator.
A source close to the family revealed that news about his demise was published on local websites in Alabama as early as 11:30 am CST, even though his next-of-kin was officially called four (4) hours later to report that he had been hospitalized and in critical condition.
Pvt. Abdul N. Latifu until joining the US Army lived in New York. He is described as very smart and respectful by all who have encountered him. As relatives, friends, and neighbours visit his New York home to mourn with the family, eulogies and questions continue to pour in.
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