×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

KZN boy accidentally shot in the head undergoes surgery, still in critical condition

The Lenmed 1 Aeromedical helicopter landed at a nearby field in KwaDukuza to airlift the boy to hospital on Thursday
The Lenmed 1 Aeromedical helicopter landed at a nearby field in KwaDukuza to airlift the boy to hospital on Thursday
Image: IPSS

An 8-year-old boy who was shot in the head, apparently while playing with a family member's gun, is still in a critical condition in hospital after an operation.

The child is fighting for his life after the accident in Mellville, KwaDukuza, north of Durban on Thursday.

Paul Herbst of IPSS Medical Rescue said the boy had to be airlifted to hospital.

“IPSS Medical Rescue and Lenmed 1 paramedics airlifted an 8-year-old child, who was accidentally shot in the head...”

Herbst said paramedics worked to stabilise the child while the Lenmed 1 Aeromedical helicopter landed on a makeshift landing zone nearby.

Police spokesperson Col Thembeka Mbele said an inquest docket had been opened, and that a charge of defeating the ends of justice was being investigated by KwaDukuza police.

“It is alleged yesterday [Thursday] at 4.15pm, the children were playing with a firearm at Mellville in KwaDukuza when a shot went off and struck an 8-year-old child on the head. The firearm used was removed from the scene by [an] unknown suspect and was later found abandoned,” said Mbele.

Herbst said that he had spoken to medical teams looking after the child, and that the boy had undergone “quite a significant surgery” on Thursday night.

“He remains in a critical and unstable condition,” said Herbst.