Child dies in accidental shooting with father’s gun
Zuko Komisa
- A seven-year-old boy was fatally shot by his eight-year-old cousin using a licensed firearm accessed in the father’s bedroom in Mqanduli, Eastern Cape.
- Police have opened a murder case against the eight-year-old and charged the 48-year-old father with failing to safeguard a firearm, with the father due in court today.
- The incident is the second recent tragedy involving a child and an unsecured firearm, reigniting calls for stricter gun safety measures across South Africa.
A seven-year-old boy has died after allegedly being shot by his eight-year-old cousin with a licensed firearm in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
The fatal incident occurred on Thursday afternoon in the Nothintwa locality, Mqanduli.
Police spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo confirmed that the eight-year-old reportedly accessed his father’s gun from the bedroom, pointed it at his younger cousin, and it discharged, killing the child instantly.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has opened cases of murder against the eight-year-old and negligence or failure to safeguard a firearm against his 48-year-old father at Kwaaiman police station.
The father has been released on warning and is scheduled to appear before the Mqanduli Magistrate’s Court today, Friday, 3 October. The eight-year-old has been referred to social workers.
The tragic shooting follows a similar case in July, where a five-year-old boy in Johannesburg was allegedly shot dead by his minor brother while playing with a firearm inside a car.
That incident prompted fresh calls for stricter firearm safety measures for gun owners across the country.