Police at Musina, in Limpopo, are investigating a case of attempted murder following an incident in which a five-year-old boy was struck by a stray bullet.
The incident happened on Saturday at a location called Matswale, according to provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
“The incident occurred on Saturday just after midnight when the bullet penetrated the roof of the family's residence and struck the child,” he said.
“According to preliminary investigations, the bullet is believed to have been fired from an unknown location. The child fell asleep while watching TV, and his elder brother discovered he was shot when he went to fetch him.”
The elder brother alerted their grandmother, and the child was immediately rushed to hospital.
Police said the injured five-year-old boy was currently receiving medical treatment.
Last year, IOL reported that a 36-year-old Limpopo man was arrested after he “accidentally” shot and killed his seven-month-old son with a pellet rifle at their home in Maololo, GaMashabela village under the Masemola policing area.
“Police attended to the complaint after the child's parents rushed him to the local clinic where he was certified dead on arrival, after he suffered a gunshot to the chest,” Ledwaba said at the time.
“Both parents were interviewed and it was revealed that the child's father was hunting for birds with a pellet rifle next to their home when the child was accidentally shot.”
Ledwaba said the suspect, who is the child’s father, was arrested and charged with murder.
IOL