A 3-year-old toddler died after he accidentally shot himself in the abdomen with his father’s pistol.
Reports indicate that he young boy was rushed to a nearby hospital but unfortunately, he was pronounced dead on arrival. The incident happened on Sunday, 1 March 2020 in Ruwa.
FaceOfMalawi has learned that the father of the toddler, Admire Chafachaipa, arrived home from work on the fateful day and took his loaded pistol from his pocket and placed in on the bed. He then left the room without securing the weapon.
Unfortunately, his son had heard his father come in from work and rushed into the bedroom to see him. When the toddler got into the bedroom his father had already left the room. However, the toddler’s interest was piqued by the firearm which was on the bed.
The child started playing with the pistol and moved from the bedroom into the passage. However, the minor accidentally managed to pull the trigger and the weapon discharged and shot him in the abdomen.
Chafachaipa and other family members rushed to the scene of the accident after they heard the weapon going off, only to find the toddler in a pool of blood. They rushed the child to the nearest hospital to seek emergency medical help, only for the toddler to be pronounced dead on arrival.
When the family reported the matter to the police, Chafachaipa was charged with culpable homicide for negligently failing to secure his weapon.
He appeared before Harare Magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa on Tuesday at the Harare Magistrate’s court. Local publication reports that he magistrate granted him $300 bail and ordered him to report every Friday at Ruwa Police Station. She also ordered him not to interfere with the witnesses in the case.
