The murder trial of Arona Tine, who is accused of fatally stabbing a bureau de change employee in Westfield, resumed on Monday with testimony from one of the first police officers to arrive at the scene.
Appearing before Justice Jaiteh, Sergeant Modou Lamin Sanneh, a police officer attached to the Joint Operation Centre, described what he encountered on the afternoon of the killing of Fatoumatta Kargbo at HM Bureau de Change.
Testifying under oath, Sergeant Sanneh said that at about 1 p.m. on a Friday, while on standby duty at the Police Intervention Unit headquarters during Juma prayers, his team received a call relayed by Superintendent Lamin B. Sarr about an incident at a bureau de change in Westfield.
When officers reached the busy Westfield intersection, they found what he characterized as a tense and chaotic scene.
“Almost 200 people were gathered at the bureau,” Sergeant Sanneh told the court. The premises were closed, he said, but officers forced the door open and found the defendant inside.
Mr. Tine, dressed in an orange shirt and blue jeans, was lying on the floor and bleeding, according to the officer’s account. “He was unconscious and bleeding,” Sergeant Sanneh testified, adding that the accused was the only person inside the building when police entered.
Given the severity of his injuries, Mr. Tine was transported first to Kanifing General Hospital. He was later referred to Ndemban Clinic and then to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital for further treatment, the officer said.
Sergeant Sanneh told the court that his team remained at the teaching hospital during the medical examination until officers from the Criminal Investigation Department arrived and formally took over the case.
Under cross-examination, defense counsel sought to underscore the limited scope of Sergeant Sanneh’s involvement. Asked whether he had participated in the subsequent investigation, the officer replied, “No, I didn’t.”
The defense also noted that despite the large crowd and the presence of nearby shops, Sergeant Sanneh did not interview witnesses at the scene. The officer maintained that his role was confined to securing the premises and ensuring the wounded suspect received medical attention.
With no further questions from the defense, Justice Jaiteh discharged the witness and adjourned the trial until Feb. 24, 2026.
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