KZN teen dies after accidentally firing relative’s gun

Two teenage boys were allegedly playing with a firearm when it accidentally went off, killing one of them. File Picture: IPSS Medical Rescue

Two teenage boys were allegedly playing with a firearm when it accidentally went off, killing one of them. File Picture: IPSS Medical Rescue

Published May 8, 2023

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A KwaZulu-Natal teenager has been killed after a gunshot was accidentally fired from a gun he and his friend were playing with on Monday afternoon.

“A short while ago, IPSS Medical Rescue responded to a shooting in the Stanger area. On arrival, it was found that a 14-year-old boy had sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was declared on the scene by medics,” a spokesperson from IPSS Medical Rescue said.

It is alleged that the two teenage boys were playing with a firearm when it accidentally went off. “The second boy sustained no injuries during this horrific incident,” the spokesperson said.

The firearm belonged to a relative of one of the boys.

KwaDukuza SAPS detectives were on the scene and are investigating the incident.

∎ Last month, a Limpopo father accidentally shot his son in Maololo, GaMashabela village, in the Masemola policing area, Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said.

“Both parents were interviewed, and it was revealed that the child’s father was hunting birds with a pellet gun next to their home when the child was accidentally shot,” Ledwaba said.

He has since appeared in court on a charge of murder and is due back in court soon.

Police have since confiscated the pellet gun.

∎ Last year, a 32-year-old Limpopo man was arrested for the negligent handling of a firearm after he allegedly gave his 13-year-old son a licensed firearm “for protection”. IOL