Young man allegedly shoots and kills friend by accident
According to the police, the suspect had taken his father's gun from the house and went to a tavern with it in the company of his 17-year-old friend.
CHOCHOCHO – A father could be facing charges of reckless handling of a firearm and negligence after his 19-year-old son shot and killed his friend on Friday.
According to the police, the suspect had taken his father’s gun from the house and went to a tavern with it in the company of his 17-year-old friend. “Apparently while walking back home, they suspected that someone was following them and the suspect decided to shoot in the air to scare them away,” said Const Naniki Nonyane.
She added that when the duo arrived home, the suspect took out the gun and tried to check if there was anything that could cause his father to suspect that it had been tampered with before putting it back where he found it.
“When we questioned him, the suspect said that the trigger accidentally went off and shot his friend in the chest. He died at the scene,” added Nonyane. MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Mr Vusi Shongwe was infuriated by this incident.
“We don’t refer to such incidents as accidents. The 19-year-old is a man who should know better than shooting people by accident. He’s a reasonable man in legal terms and the fact that he took the gun to a tavern makes the matter even more questionable,” said Shongwe. However, he stated that the fact that the suspect was no longer a minor does not mean that the father, who is the owner of the firearm, was automatically exonerated from facing the law.
“The owner is equally liable and faces harsh charges if it could be established that his son did not break his safe where he had put the gun. A gun should be locked in a safe and only the owner should be in possession of the key. In this case the father should be brought to book where he must explain how safe his gun was, and if he fails to prove that, his licence will be taken away from him,” added the angry Shongwe. The suspect has since been arrested and charged with murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
“Firearms should be kept in a safe and it is a criminal offence to just leave it where anyone can access it. We are conducting investigations and we’ll be speaking to the father as soon as he gets back from Cape Town where he’s believed to be at the moment,” stated Nonyane
