A holiday tragedy has rocked the community of PhezukweWilo in Mqanduli, the Eastern Cape, after an 11-year-old boy was shot and killed, allegedly by a 14-year-old boy, using a homemade firearm. Police said the shooting happened at about 10.30 am on Wednesday. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo said Kwaaiman police were alerted to the incident and found the child dead inside one of the homes.
“It is alleged that the 14-year-old boy used his father’s homemade gun, which his father confirmed was left loaded in the drawer of a headboard whilst going to town,” Matyolo said. The father later handed his son over to the police, along with the firearm allegedly used in the shooting. The teenager is now in custody.
A case of murder has been opened, and Matyolo said charges against the father cannot be ruled out as the investigation continues. Police have urged anyone with information to contact their nearest station. This is the second child-on-child shooting reported in the Eastern Cape in recent months.
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In October, an eight-year-old boy shot and killed his seven-year-old cousin after accessing his father’s licensed firearm from a bedroom. The shot killed the younger boy instantly. In that case, Matyolo said Kwaaiman police opened cases of murder and failure to safeguard a firearm. The child’s 48-year-old father faces charges for negligence.
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