Boy, 13, shoots self with father’s gun
Police have opened a case of failure to safeguard a firearm after a 13-year-old boy shot himself with his father’s firearm near KwaMsane, KwaZulu-Natal.
It is alleged the boy’s grandmother, who was at a neighbouring house in the Nkolokotho Reserve, heard a gunshot on Monday and was later approached by the boy, whose body was reportedly soaked in blood, before she could find out what had happened, Zululand Observer reported.
The boy then reportedly told his grandmother he had accidentally shot himself after coming across his father’s gun. According to KwaMsane police spokesperson Captain Jabulani Mdletshe, the father admitted to having hidden his 9mm pistol under his pillow.
The boy was then taken to KwaMsane Clinic and later transferred to Ngwelezana Hospital for further treatment.
In November last year, a three-year-old child was shot dead while playing with his father’s firearm in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal.
Police said the boy had managed to get hold of his father’s gun, and shot himself through the mouth. The shooting reportedly took place while the toddler was in a bedroom, and his mother was busy in the kitchen.
– Caxton News Service
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