Claim: An unidentified vehicle drove into UP headquarters and killed 15 partisans while celebrating.
Verdict: Misleading, 15 people did not die at the incident
Full Text: Unity Party Montserrado district #2 Coordinator and member of the National Campaign Media Team, Angel Morris, posted on her Facebook page that 15 people died at the party’s headquarters while celebrating.
“An unidentified vehicle just drove into the HQ of the UP and killed at least 15 innocent partisans who were celebrating JNB’s victory.“
On Monday, November 20, 2023, after authorities of the National Elections Commission (NEC) announced Joseph N. Boakai, political leader of the opposition Unity Party, as President-elect of the November 14 presidential runoff elections, an unidentified vehicle drove into UP headquarters while its supporters were in a jubilant mood.
Boakai and incumbent George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) showed up in the run-off after none of them accumulated 50+1 valid votes cast in the October 10, 2023 elections.
Verification: After the incident, the Liberia National Police posted on its Facebook page.
The Liberia National Police has responded to an accident incident at the headquarters of the Unity Party where a motor vehicle ran into several celebrants of the Unity Party, thus injuring sixteen of them.
Out of the sixteen injured victims who are believed to be Unity Party celebrants, two of them are said to be unconscious while others are hospitalized at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital. The cause of the accident is yet to be established by LNP investigators.
Again, on Tuesday, in a live press conference, the police confirmed three deaths—two males and one female.
Moses Carter, LNP’s director of communication, disclosed that 25 people were injured during the incident, adding that the driver, identified as Lawrence Williams, is in police custody and undergoing an investigation.
Emmanuel Dahn, Montserrado County District #7 lawmaker-elect, also confirmed that three people had died while seeking treatment.
The Daily Observer also did an erratum on its Tuesday, November 21 edition.
The Daily Observer wishes to apologize for the headline of its leading front story on November 21, 2023, which claimed in the headline: “12 Killed in Vehicle Attack on Crowd at UP Headquarters.” The high number of alleged deaths was originally reported by sources that we were following, though we are thankful that the actual number of deaths was not nearly as many. Special recognition also goes to the gallant health workers at the JFK Medical Center and other facilities who were able to respond adequately to the injured person in such a traumatic incident.
Conclusion: Our research disclosed that the claim that 15 people died in the incident by UP’s stalwart is misleading. No one died on the scene, but three people have been pronounced dead while seeking medical attention.
