Boy injured by father’s gun at expo
An 8-year-old boy was injured by a shot fired from his father's gun on Monday afternoon at the Hunt Expo in Midrand, police said.
Police are investigating a case of negligent handling of a firearm after an 8-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the upper right side of his chest by his father on Monday afternoon, police said. The incident took place on the last day of the Hunt Expo 2014 at Gallagher Estate in Midrand.
According to the Hunt Expo organiser, Adriaan Woudstra, the shot occurred when a visitor went to a public toilet with his two young sons. “They were in a closed toilet cubicle when a shot was accidentally discharged from his personal firearm, which hit his 8-year-old son,” he said.
Paramedics were called and the boy was immediately treated and stabilised on scene. “The child and his family were transported by an ambulance, which was stationed on-site, to the nearest hospital in Midrand,” said Woudstra.
According to police, the boy sustained critical injuries and was admitted to ICU at the Castenhof Hospital. “No arrests have been made, at the moment we are busy investigating a case of negligent handling of a firearm,” said police spokesperson, Constable Matome Tlamela.
Woudstra stated, however, that strict firearm control measures were enforced at the expo. “All firearm exhibitors complied with the legislation as laid down by the Firearms Control Act by applying for and being issued with temporary firearm exhibition permits from the police’s Central Firearms Registry (CFR). The CFR was also present on the premises during the duration of the expo to ensure compliance with the act. They manned two stands and also assisted the Midrand police station with investigations of the incident,” he said.
