US-based Ghanaian lecturer shot dead in Illinois; wife arrested

A US-based Ghanaian lecturer at Southern Illinois University (SIU), Kofi Akamani, has been shot dead in Illinois, United States.

Betty Akamani, his wife is alleged to have shot her husband multiple times while he was driving away from her apartment during a drop-off at the end of his visitation with their two children.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) said deputies responded to reports of a shooting at about 5 p.m. on Saturday near Lake Road between Murphysboro and Carbondale, Illinois. The victim was transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, where he was pronounced dead from injuries sustained in the shooting.

Dr Akamani was a professor in SIU Carbondale’s Department of Forestry, where he taught courses in forest recreation and conservation social science.

Following an investigation, Akamani’s wife, 35-year-old, was arrested in connection with the shooting and faces multiple charges over her alleged involvement.

According to court records and the Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Office, the couple had been separated for two years, and were in the middle of a divorce.