12 year-old shoots and kills younger brother with father’s gun
A 12-year-old boy faces a charge of murder and his father a charge of contravention of the Firearms Control Act. This after the child on Saturday, 26 October got hold of a firearm and shot and killed his three-year-old brother, during an incident at Makgeng village, ga-Molepo near Mankweng.
LIMPOPO – In a statement, Police Spokesperson, Brig Motlefela Mojapelo says the firearm belongs to the children’s 53-year-old father, a former security officer. The firearm was allegedly kept in a bag which was hung up on the wall in his room, where the child accessed it.
The mother of the two boys heard the gunshot at around 08:30 and when she rushed to investigate, she found the younger child shot and severely injured. He was rushed to the local clinic and was declared dead on arrival.
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The father was not at home at the time of the incident.
The police were alerted and investigations commenced and the firearm was seized, he adds.
Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Genl Nneke Ledwaba condemns this incident and said that in addition to the murder investigation, appropriate steps must also be taken against the father for keeping the firearm in contravention of the Firearms Control Act. “ I urge all lawful firearm owners to at all times keep their firearm(s) in locked safes in order to avoid unauthorised access,” says Ledwaba.
The 12-year-old will be dealt with in accordance with the processes governing children who are in conflict with the law. Probation officers have already been engaged to take the process forward, Mojapelo adds.
Police investigations into the circumstances of the shooting are underway.
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