Birmingham: Sister, 5, shoots toddler in head with father's air rifle
A toddler was in a critical condition in hospital last night after his five-year-old sister shot him in the head with their father's air rifle.
Rashid Rullah, who is 18 months old, was playing in his family's back garden in Birmingham on Sunday evening while his father, Bakht Zaman, used the gun for target practice.
According to the boy's grandfather, Bakht Rammand, Zaman put the loaded gun down while he answered a call on his mobile. While his back was turned, his daughter picked up the gun and shot her brother.
"There are no words to describe it really. The whole road loves them," said Rammand, 48.
He said the boy's mother, Fazilat Zaman, 25, had spent the night at Birmingham children's hospital but was later sleeping at home before returning to her son's bedside. He said his grandson remained unconscious and seriously ill in hospital after his sister, Asna Almas, shot him.
Doctors were unable to operate on the boy as he was still unconscious, he added.
Rammand said: "The children usually come down here about 10.30am and spend all day, every day with us. At 4pm they usually go home. When they went home yesterday they were playing with their dad in the garden.
"He was target practising with the gun and then somebody rang his mobile. The gun was ready to fire and he answered the phone.
"Rashid's sister is really active and she got hold of the gun and pointed it at her brother. He was on the high ground and she was on the low ground. It hit him right in the middle of the back of his head. Everybody's in shock."
A spokeswoman for the West Midlands ambulance service said yesterday: "We were called to an address in Washwood Heath in Birmingham at around 6.40pm last night following reports of a child having been shot. He had suffered a serious head injury.
"We sent an ambulance, two rapid response vehicles, an incident support officer and West Midlands care team emergency doctors to take the child to Birmingham children's hospital. She added that the child had been admitted in a "critical but stable" condition.
A spokesman for West Midlands police said: "While we are still trying to establish precisely what happened, this does appear to be a tragic accident involving young children.
He added: "Officers are not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident."
A neighbour, Robert Stacey, 50, said: "Yesterday afternoon I saw the man next door doing target practice against some kind of shooting board in his back garden with an air rifle. I asked him if he was with a club and he said he was."
He added: "I have to admit I wasn't very happy at this going on next door to me because it made a loud clacking noise and I don't like having guns so nearby."
Although most air weapons do not require the keeper to apply for a firearms certificate, the law controlling the sale of the weapons was recent作者: LisaTBS 时间: 2008-8-26 16:33