Boy, 9, shoots himself

A family at Siumu is mourning the tragic death of a nine-year-old boy who accidently shot himself while playing with a rifle.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening, involving a 12-gauge rifle.

The boy, whose name is withheld, died instantly.

Police Commissioner, Egon Keil, confirmed the incident yesterday.

“Apparently what happened was that there was a shotgun involved and the kid was playing with it,” Mr. Keil told the Samoa Observer.

“We don’t know whether the round was inside the shotgun when the child got it or whether the child put it in there. We are not sure at the moment but we are still looking into that.

“The information we have is that there was a round, there was a discharge and the child was shot. He died from one single gunshot wound to his head.”

Mr. Keil said the incident has left his family, village and community in a deep state of sadness and shock.

“It just goes to show the importance of being responsible when it comes to owning a gun. People have to be responsible and they have to know the law in owning a gun,” he said.

“The gun has to be registered and they have to know the safety surrounding the gun. There is great responsibility that comes with having one and that’s not only the safety of you but others.

“Another thing that we found out from this case is that obviously the gun wasn’t kept in a safe place so the kids or anybody will have not have access to it.

“So I put it out there to whoever owns a gun legally or illegally to be responsible with it and to store it in an area where nobody will get to it unless they (owner) need to get to it. Make sure there is no bullets in the gun, make sure the bullet is separated from the gun.”

The Commissioner also used the opportunity to highlight the importance of gun safety. He said these incidents are very common, even back in the United States where he used to be an officer with L.A.P.D.

“In the States where I used to live for about thirty years, there were a lot of gun accidents because the parents were being irresponsible,” he said.

“But I don’t know what the case in this accident is because I don’t want to say that. Obviously it’s something that could have been avoided. It’s very unfortunate.”

The Police Commissioner also expressed his condolences to the family.

“It’s a very sad situation not only for that family but the whole of Samoa,” he said. “This kind of incident should never have happened because it can be avoided.

“My heart goes out to the family and goes out to the parents specifically of this child. We are here to do everything possible to ensure that these type of incidents will never happen again.”

The Police are investigating.