Kofi Adu-Brempong, the 35-year-old Ghanaian graduate student who was shot in the face by University Police in March, remains hospitalized and in stable condition, his sister-in-law Cynthia Agyemang said Wednesday.
“His spirits are up,” she said, “[he’s] hopeful that things will turn around in his favor.”
Agyemang said the family is not anxiously awaiting the upcoming release of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s official report on the matter, but simply said, “We’re at peace.”
On March 2, UPD officers responded to a worried neighbor’s call who heard screaming from Adu-Brempong’s on-campus Corry Village apartment, according to UPD reports.
Police officers, along with a mental health professional, visited Adu-Brempong the day before the shooting and arrest because a professor from his college expressed concern for his mental stability. The officers concluded, however, that Adu-Brempong was not a danger to himself or others, the report stated.
The night of the incident, Adu-Brempong would not allow police officers into his home. Officers were forced to talk to him through his open bedroom window for about two and half hours before the he fell silent, the report stated.
Fearing that Adu-Brempong had done something to harm himself, officers forced their way into the apartment.
When Adu-Brempong approached the officers, they fired two Tasers, which failed to connect, three rounds of bean-bag shots, which failed to subdue him, and two shots from an automatic rifle, the report stated.
Adu-Brempong, who suffered from polio as a child, was rushed to Shands at UF where he was placed under a false name and treated for his injuries. His condition is no longer critical, although he has lost part of his jaw and tongue. He is currently charged with one count of second-degree aggravated assault and one count of third-degree resisting arrest with violence, according to Alligator archives.
Since the shooting, three protests have been held on campus. The protesters have demanded, among other things, that the shooting officer, Keith Smith, be terminated and that all charges against Adu-Brempong be dropped.
The FDLE and UF have both conducted their own investigations on the case. The FDLE report was completed in April and was turned over to the State Attorney’s Office for consideration. State Attorney Bill Cervone said that progress continues to be made, and that the report, along with his recommendations, should be released to the public within a couple of weeks.
