‘Zogos Kill’ LDEA Officer Payne
Lawlessness engulfed Caldwell Community in the outskirt of Monrovia on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, evening hours when an officer of the LDEA was reportedly mobbed by youth gang being addicted to drug.
The anarchic behavior of some residents, known as Zogos, witnessed the mob action that led to the death of an officer of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Emmanuel Payne.
Meanwhile the agency said, it regrets to announce the “tragic and untimely death of Officer Emmanuel Payne, who was brutally killed on the evening of Tuesday, July 22, at the hands of disadvantage youth, identified as Zogos.
Officer Payne, assigned to the New Kru Town Detail, was discovered lifeless at Caldwell Benson Street.
Preliminary investigations established that he was mobbed to death by a group of suspected Zogos, while on his way home from work.
Zogos are referred to as young Liberians, who are hush-hush as drug addicted youth meandering in almost all communities without security or government control.
Quoting eyewitnesses accounts, LDEA recorded how Officer Payne had gone to visit a friend from the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) in the community when he was mobbed.
During the visit, one account said, a confrontation reportedly broke out involving Zogos and some suspected drug dealers.
“Officer Payne attempted to intervene in the situation when he fired a warning shot into the air to deescalate tensions.
Unfortunately, this act angered the crowd, which grew into unruly size and turned hostile.
The LDEA said, in officer Payne’s attempt to flee from the mob, he was allegedly chased having being accused suddenly of being a motorcycle thief (motorbike rogue), and was “ultimately violently attacked and killed.”
“It is important to note that Officer Payne was in uniform at the time of the incident.”
Community members further alleged that Officer Payne had recently arrested a well-known drug dealer in the area, a possible motive for the brutal retaliation he faced.
Upon receiving the alert, LDEA Deputy Director-General for Operations, Sabastine Farr, and a team of LDEA officers responded swiftly, but the Farr’s led intervention was too late to save Payne’s life from his attackers, who had done the damaged in the absent of law.
Officer Payne was transported to John F. Kennedy Medical Center, where medical personnel confirmed him dead upon arrival.
The LDEA, has meanwhile, strongly condemned this “senseless and heinous act of violence. We are therefore working in close collaboration with the Liberia National Police (LNP) and other sister security agencies to thoroughly investigate this matter. We ensure the public that those responsible will be identified, arrested, and brought to justice without delay.”
The LDEA extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends, and colleagues of Officer Emmanuel Payne.
“His bravery, commitment, and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” the agency said in a release signed by the Director-General Anthony K. Souh.
The agency is meanwhile, asking the public (anyone) with information to assist the ongoing investigation.
Anyone with pieces of information to help the investigation is advised to contact the LDEA Hotline at 0777133333.
Story source: Public Relations Section