bad luck
Nine-year-old probably shot by other children
Police are still investigating how the children got hold of the gun they used to shoot a nine-year-old boy. Photo: Robert Michael/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Two children are suspected of having shot a nine-year-old boy with an airgun. The boy had to have an operation on his neck to remove the bullet.
Two children are suspected after a nine-year-old boy was shot with an air pressure rifle in Lörrach. A police spokesman said on Friday that the two were not yet of criminal responsibility.
The officers secured the gun and, according to their own statements, are still investigating how the children got hold of the gun. Because of the protection of privacy, the police left the age and gender of the children open.
According to the investigators, a so-called diabolo bullet was stuck in the boy’s neck, which had to be removed by an operation in the hospital. No vital vessels were injured. The police were initially unable to answer whether the boy was specifically hit behind an apartment building while playing on Wednesday.
Because the children are under criminal responsibility, the prosecutor’s investigators are not filing a criminal complaint, but submitting a report, as the police spokesman explained. In addition, the youth welfare office is routinely informed. It was initially unclear whether the parents had to face the consequences.