A six-year-old boy is in a serious condition after he was hit by a stray bullet apparently during an alleged robbery at a shopping centre in Centurion‚ south of Pretoria.

ER24 spokesman Werner Vermaak said that at about 12 noon on Sunday‚ ER24 and other services were called to a parking lot at the local shopping centre where they found the child in the back seat of a vehicle.

 “Paramedics found that he had sustained a gunshot wound to his right shoulder. The boy was treated on the scene and rushed to a nearby hospital by ER24 for further care‚” Vermaak said.

He said that although the exact circumstances surrounding the incident were not yet known‚ it was understood that the child was sleeping in the car when an apparent shootout occurred nearby.

 “Bystanders on the scene explained that the shooting incident occurred between security guards and robbers during an alleged robbery. One of the stray bullets went into the vehicle and into the child’s shoulder.

“Bystanders explained to paramedics that the parents came back to the vehicle and found numerous people around the car. At this stage‚ it is not clear if the child was left in the car unattended at the time when he sustained the injury.

“By the time paramedics left the scene‚ police were not yet in attendance. The exact cause of the incident is not yet known‚” Vermaak said.