SIU professor Kofi Akamani dies after shooting near Carbondale; wife faces murder charges
- Kofi Akamani, 48, was taken to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, where he was pronounced dead from injuries sustained in the shooting, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded at about 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, to a report of an active shooting at a residence off Lake Road. Jackson County State’s Attorney Marsha Cascio-Hale later identified the location as a home on Anthony Drive, near Country Club Road and West Lake Road.
Betty Akamani, 35, was arrested following the shooting. Cascio-Hale identified her as Kofi Akamani’s wife and said prosecutors planned to formally charge her with two counts of first-degree murder. Court records cited by The Daily Egyptian also list a misdemeanor child-endangerment charge.
Betty Akamani was scheduled to make her first court appearance Monday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. Officials had not released further details about the circumstances leading to the shooting as of Monday morning.
The charges are allegations. Betty Akamani is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Kofi Akamani was a professor of forest recreation and conservation social science in SIU’s Department of Forestry. His work examined how rural communities in the United States and Ghana respond to climate change and other pressures affecting forests, water resources and agricultural landscapes.
According to his SIU faculty profile, Akamani earned a doctorate in natural resources from the University of Idaho, a master’s degree in culture, environment and sustainability from the University of Oslo, and a bachelor’s degree in planning from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana.
He was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sustainable Forestry and contributed to several major environmental assessments, including the Fifth National Climate Assessment and the United Nations Environment Programme’s Global Environment Outlook 7. SIU recognized him with an Early Career Faculty Excellence Award in 2016.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have learned of the tragic passing of one of our faculty members, Dr. Kofi Akamani,” SIU Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Jeff Harmon said in a statement provided to Heartland News. “Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and students during this difficult time.”
SIU’s College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences informed students that counseling services would be available Monday in Agriculture Building, Room 107, in addition to the university’s regular counseling locations.
Dean Kristina Boone told students that the college plans to celebrate Akamani’s life with a memorial at a later date.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case. This story will be updated as additional verified information becomes available.
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