An insider alleged that prior to the killing of the chief bodyguard to the SSS Director, the Deputy SSS Director, Ashford pearl was seeing around the terrain at 3: O’clock a.m. instructing his men to take control of security at Director Massaquoi’s residence on the GSA Road.

The source who begged not to be named further alleged that he alerted the late Williams to inform his boss to be careful while en-route to his residence because some arm men were patrolling the area.

He told The News that upon arrival at his residence at 3:30 a.m., the SSS Director and his chief bodyguard entered.

The insider alleged that Col. Massaquoi then requested his chief bodyguard to patrol the entire yard  to ensure that no one was posted to harm him, it was when he the SSS personnel believed to have been  posted by the Deputy SSS Director, shot the late Williams six times in the chest killing him instantly.

He alleged that they intended to kill the SSS Director but  mistakenly took the late Williams to have been the SSS Director.

THE NEWS continues with another version of the story:
Others argued that there could be deeper motive surrounding the latest attack.

Meanwhile, sources on the scene explained that a row developed between officers assigned to the SSS Director and officers assigned to SSS Deputy Director, Ashford Peal just outside the gate of Mr. Massaquoi’s residence.

Our sources say, Mr. Peal had gone to the residence of Mr. Massaquoi “allegedly” for some discussion but forcibly wanted to enter the premises. The officers assigned at Mr. Massaquoi’s residence denied him entry and wanted to know reasons why he had come to see the SSS Director.

Trigger happy, the officers assigned with Mr. Peal, sources say, shot and killed officer Williams.

But read this version of the story as culled from The PUBLIC AGENDA newspaper:
Sources told this paper that Peal told the police in a voluntary statement after his arrest that on 4 August, Director Massaquio called him and requested for a number of guards to be assigned at his residence after an earlier attack on him by unknown armed men.

He said he could not station men at the director’s residence because of shortage of manpower, according to our source. But our source quoted him as saying that he called the police to do routine patrol of the GSA Road area. The Police, he explained, also provided men including Maj. T. Edwin Swen (T-Swen) to escort the director back home from work on the morning of the incident.

Peal said while Massaquoi’s convoy of three cars was approaching the GSA Road Junction, he spotted it and stopped it. The convoy stopped and asked the driver of the director’s vehicle, “Where is the chief?” He clarified that he asked because he could not see Director Massaquoi from the back seat, since the car was tinted. However, he said, the driver said, “The chief is at the back seat”.

Within that time, Massaquoi brought down his window glass and spoke. The deputy director said he asked the director if he was well, and he answered “yes.”
“Thereafter, I sped away to the chief's residence”, our source quoted Peal as telling the Police.

“At Massaquoi’s resident, I put up a barricade to avoid any armed men from attacking the chief since the area was earlier attacked,” Peal was quoted by our source as explaining to the police.
“Minutes later, Massaqoui convoy came. I fired one shot in the air, using my 9mm Israeli pistol and later, T-Swen and I walked behind his vehicle until it reached his parking lot and the chief disembarked and entered his house,” our source said.

Peal said thereafter, he came out of the fence of Massaquoi and conferred with T-Swen before heading for his vehicle. Peal narrated that it was within that time that he heard shooting from the direction of Massaquoi’s house.

He said he went back and saw a gentleman in the fence of Massaquoi with a gun who told him that he had fired some one. “I asked the director how this man got assigned with him since he was not part of those who took training in the United States,” the source further quoted Peal.

Peal noted that he asked that the injured man be taken to the hospital and he later retired for his house.

Although justice minister Frances Johnson-Morris has promised a prompt investigation into the shooting and in fact, hopes to release results the soonest, we are hoping that the investigation will seek answers to many troubling questions surrounding the incident.

First, from Deputy Director Peal's statement to the investigators:
1.  Did he have to fire in the air and set barricade upon arrival at the chief's residence? What Standard Operating Procedure dictates that? Such behavior is sufficient to trigger response from anyone who is confused and don't know what the heg is going on.

2.  What was Director Peal doing in the area, and has he been able to confirm if the shooter (Darlington Bleh) was actually assigned at the residence of the chief? In fact, the list and identity of all and any officer assigned to any residence, whether a VIP or not, should be made available to the Head of Household, who in this case, was the chief. Is the investigation addressing that?

3.  In a heavily guarded area, when a shot is fired, well trained men immediately take cover and radio someone within the perimeter or vicinity in which the shot was fired. Who radioed anyone and what was the communication?

4.  Why should the police, which is not yet armed, be instructed to escort a VIP whose home was attacked by armed men days prior? If they were armed, then I withdraw the question.

The Darlington Bleh Theory - Public agenda Newspaper:
For his part, the man who allegedly shot Emmanuel Williams, Darlington Bleh, told the police he was assigned at the residence of the SSS director by the Deputy Chief of Motorcade identified as Francis Weah.

In voluntary statement to the police, Darlington Bleh said it was his first day on assignment in the residence of director Massaquoi.
According to our source, Bleh wrote that upon his arrival at the residence of the SSS Director, he was taken around the area by men assigned with Massaquoi and shown the scars of the first attack on the resident.

At about 4 AM, Bleh indicated in the statement, that he heard shooting and noise at the front gate of the director’s residence. “I took cover under the darkness at the back of the house. Later, I saw a man approaching me and I fired him. I realized later that I have killed the man. I went outside the fence and saw Ashford Peal who asked if I was well. I was later disarmed and arrested by the police”.

The troubling question for Bleh:
1.  With his first day of assignment at the chief's house, what were the specific instructions from his immediate supervisor? Did he say anything to the person who was coming towards him in the dark - at least before discharging his weapon?

2.  Why did it have to be 4 shots and in the chest?

3.  Did the approaching person have any weapon drawn or fired?

Theoretical analysis of Bleh's statement:
It appears to me, Bleh recklessly discharged his weapon, killing Emmanuel Williams and is now regretting the incident. Bleh must have been nervous and frightened when he earlier heard a shot fired. Of course, that must have been the the so-called shot that was fired by Deputy Director Peal to announce the presence of the chief.

Theoretical analysis of Peal's involvement:
When Deputy Director Ashford Peal spotted and stopped the three-car convoy as he has told investigators, it was good that he made contact with director Massaquoi and spoke with him. By the chief telling his deputy that he (the chief) was okayed, the deputy did not have any reason to speed up to the chief's residence and open fire at random. That was irresponsible and unprofessional. No wonder why a nervous and frightened Bleh must have felt overwhelmed and took cover. He (Peal) deserves some administrative punishment. Instead, he was questioned and sent back to work - to protect the president. Let's hope he too went through the screening exercise.

There is however a history of Ashford Peal's involvement in a gun related violence, at least that we know of. It is alleged that he was involved in a shooting incident in Providence, Rhode Island years ago. One source told us that it was drug related while another said it had to do with romance. In that incident, Mr. Peal was not the shooter, neither the bystander. He was the victim.

But none of these events, in anyway suggests that the deputy director is capable of assassinating his boss.

The theories we have tried to analyze here are only those gathered from statements given by individuals who have been helping with the investigation. I would really love to hear Col. Chris Massaquoi's version of what happened the morning of August 5th.

We must bear in mind that there are many other theories emerging from the SSS tragedy. One is that, President Sirleaf has truly given Col.  Massaquoi the full go-ahead to clean up the unit of the unprofessional, unruly and incapable staff, and that could be one motive for a full blown assassination attempt. It is strongly believed by many observers, including this writer that a significant number of the presidential security officers are mere joke and do not have the requisite training and experience and therefore, Chris Massaquoi would not hesitate to purge it. We saw what he did at the Bureau Of Immigration.

Now that Mr. Ashford Peal is gone back to work, the screening process has started, Darlington Bleh is in jail, Emmanuel Williams is dead and Chris Massaquoi remains frightened for his life, we can only hope that a great lesson will be learned here and the episode will serve as a wake up call for President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and all well meaning Liberians who are constantly worried about the overall security of the state.

Writes,
Gabriel Gworlekaju

TO BE CONTINUED