PIU SHO0TING SURVIVOR BREAKS SILENCE

Almost two years after coming under a rain of bullets that instantly killed two of her colleagues and left her seriously injured, police officer Ansey Jawo has for the first time spoken about the incident, its impact on her heath and work.
Jawo was shot on the night of 12 September 2023 at the Sukuta- Traffic Lights Junction while on duty with two other colleagues, both of them male, who were killed by the same gunman.
A man from Brufut, Ousainou Bojang, accused by the police of carrying out the shootings has flatly denied the charge in an ongoing trial at the High Court.
Jawo avoided giving specific details of her ordeal on that fateful day, (because of the trauma) but said the incident turned her life upside down as she struggles to cope with the aftermath of that traumatic event.
“I am still suffering from some anxiety and episodes of trauma whenever this incident comes to mind. It would be difficult for me to totally get over it. Yes, I am coping but the only problem is the pains I feel in my body,” Jawo explained. 
Asked whether she has received any assistance from her institution or the government, Jawo replied:
“After my discharge from hospital, a police delegation visited me with an assistance of 5 bags of rice and 2 gallons of oil in addition to some money, about D5000.  I also received an injury compensation of D15,000 paid through Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation”.
On her current general health condition, Jawo said she still feels pain in her body never experienced before the shooting. “Whenever I start experiencing these pains, I would call one Solo Gibba at the police medical department and he would arrange a vehicle to come and pick me from home to see a Cuban doctor. Even last week, I had a checkup because I was experiencing some pains in my chest, ribs and other parts of my body often characterised by difficulty in breathing,” Jawo said.. 
Jawo added the that police force would always provide a car to pick her anytime she goes for checkup, but she buys her medicines from her own money.
The police woman said she did not consider herself 100 percent recovered even though she has resumed work and  now posted to a new unit and promoted.
Jawo further clarified that there was no medical report recommending her to go for overseas treatment.
Asked whether she received the D100, 000 donated by President Adama Barrow who visited her immediately after the incident, Jawo said everything was under the control of her father who received the money on her behalf and used it to cover her medical bills.
She said she was also aware of a donation of money by a certain police official but she did not know how much it was.
Meanwhile her father, one Pateh Jawo, himself a police officer, said the police have been very helpful to her daughter for which he expressed gratitude to the IGP and the government.

Source: The Standard