The government of Gambia is demanding answers from the US government after the son of one its diplomats was killed by US Police after a car chase.
The Gambia says a thorough investigation should be carried out in the death of 39 year old Mamodou Lamin Sissay who was chased down by police cars before being shot and killed by police officers.
The killing of the son of the African diplomat comes on the heels of the death of an African American, George Floyd at the hands of US police in Minneapolis. The death has sparked ongoing protests in the United States as well as some parts of the world including London and Paris.
See Also: All Four Officers Involved In George Floyd’s Death To Face Criminal Charges
Mamodou refused to stop when he was flagged down by a police officer at SnellVille, Georgia at 03:49 am on Friday. A chase thereafter ensued leading to a shootout with the police.
According to investigators;
“Officers approached the vehicle and gave verbal commands for the driver to show his hands. The driver did not comply… the driver pointed a handgun at the officers. Officers fired at the driver and pulled back to take cover behind their patrol vehicles.”
During the standoff, the driver pointed his weapon and fired at the SWAT officers. One GCPD SWAT officer fired his weapon.”
Reacting to the incident, the father of the victim who is a diplomat with the United Nations, Lare Sissay said the police did not do enough to deescalate the situation. He also expressed disbelief at reports that his son had drawn a weapon on US policemen given their antecedents.
“We will do an independent autopsy and we want to get a private investigator to investigate the circumstances of his death and if necessary hire a lawyer to sue the Georgia state police. We’re not going to let it go,” he told a local newspaper in Gambia.
On Tuesday, the Gambian Ministry of foreign affairs directed its embassy in Washington to engage US authorities including the State Department to seek a credible, transparent and objective investigation.
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