Father of minor who ‘mistakenly' shot friend to death could be jailed 5 years - Lawyer

A private legal practitioner lawyer Kofi Bekai has explained that the father of the nine-year-old boy who mistakenly shot his seven-year-old friend to death could spend five years in imprisonment over the matter.

Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, he indicated that the man could be charged for misdemeanour and if found guilty, he could spend between three to five years.

He also explained that the owner of a gun who used the gun as collateral to take a loan from the minor’s father could also be charged.

The owner of the gun he said would be investigated to determine if he failed to lock the gun, inform the father of the minor that there were bullets in the gun, among others.

He said the father of the minor who mistakenly fired the shot would also be probed to determine if he carelessly left the gun in the open which made it easier for the son to locate it.

He said if the two adults are both found guilty, they could spend years in jail.

He said the father especially could be charged with negligence of unsafely keeping the gun in the house.

He posited that the child may not necessarily be held responsible, and what he needs at the moment is psychological support.

The lawyer stressed that the decision by the father to keep the gun in an unsafe place could be grounds for prosecution, and if found culpable, he would be held liable.

Background

A minor boy was shot dead, allegedly by his juvenile friend, in Kumasi, an incident that has thrown residents into a state of mourning and grief.

The accused, a 9-year-old-boy, and the victim were living together in the same community and attended the same school.

Rainbow Radio gathered that the accused minor and his friend had returned from an even in school ‘Career Day’ where the two had expressed interest in joining the Police and Military.

The nine-year-old boy had told the deceased that his father keeps a gun at home and would want to send him home to see the gun.

A reporter, Nana Amakye, told Kwabena Agyapong on RaFrontline that the nine-year-old boy told his friend he would retrieve the gun if his parents go the farm.

He subsequently went in for the gun saying, he wants to join the Police Service and wield a gun because if you are an officer and wield a gun, no one will intimidate or threaten you.

Nana Amakye said as the two minors were playing, the gun discharged into the face of the seven-year-old boy killing him instantly.

The incident drew the attention of neighbours to the scene.

Upon seeing the lifeless body of the boy, the neighbours walled and went into shock.

The parents of the 9-nine-year-old were also shocked to hear the circumstances leading to the incident.

According to the reporter, the parents of the two minors are devastated and are unable to speak about the incident.

The boy has also been assigned a psychologist since he is in a state of shock.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the gun was used as collateral for a loan, which the father of the accused gave to another friend.

The Police has also arrested the father of the nine-year-old boy, who is assisting them with their investigations.