By Haddy Touray
A man identified as Drammeh Njie, who is suspected of shooting Alieu Njie during a dispute at Kerr Makka Tukulorr in the Upper Saloum District of the Central River Region, remains at large, according to local sources and authorities.
The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Monday following a dispute between the suspect and his younger brother, Sarjo Njie, while they were working on a family groundnut farm on the outskirts of the village.
Sources said the situation escalated when Drammeh Njie allegedly moved to retrieve a locally made firearm from another part of the farm.
Alieu Njie, who was nearby, reportedly abandoned his farm work and intervened in an attempt to prevent the dispute from escalating.
An eyewitness told The Voice Newspaper that Alieu was attempting to separate the two brothers when Drammeh allegedly fired the gun, hitting him in the shoulder.
“When Alieu saw Drammeh rushing to grab his local gun, he left his work and went there to try to calm the situation. By the time Drammeh pulled the trigger towards his younger brother, Sarjo, Alieu was in the middle trying to separate them and was hit in the shoulder,” the eyewitness said.
The eyewitness added that residents rushed to the scene after hearing the gunshot, but the suspect had already fled.
“The matter was reported to the Panchang Police Intervention Unit (PIU), which has since commenced investigations to locate and apprehend the suspect,” he said.
A security officer, who spoke to The Voice Newspaper on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident, saying the shooting followed a quarrel between Drammeh and Sarjo Njie.
According to the officer, Drammeh allegedly fired the weapon while Alieu was attempting to intervene in the dispute between the two brothers.
The officer said police in Panchang and Njau have opened a case file and launched investigations to apprehend the suspect, who remains at large.
He added that Alieu Njie sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder and was initially taken to the Njau Health Centre before being referred to Farafenni General Hospital for further treatment.
Hamid Loum, Councillor for Panchang Ward, also confirmed the incident, saying the suspect was still at large while the victim remained in stable condition at Farafenni General Hospital.
Police investigations into the incident are continuing.