CHILD SHOT DEAD

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 290, 7 September 1928, Page 12

CHILD SHOT DEAD

LITTLE BOY’S • TRAGIC DEATH A NURSERY ACCIDENT Dominion Special Service. Auckland, September 6. A gunshot wound, accidentally inllieted by his cousin, resulted in the tragic death of Bruce Janies Garner, aged seven years, whose parents reside at Ponsonby. The child was shot in the abdomen and, notwithstanding the fact that a doctor was rushed to the house, he died within an hour. The afternoon was wet and the little boy with his cousin and some other children were playing in the house. Mrs. Garner saw the children happily at play and then went into the kitchen at the rear of the house for a few minutes. Later she heard a muffled report, but thought it was the banging of a door. There was a scream and the agonised mother, rushing into the playroom, saw her little son lying on the floor. He had fallen from the bed. on which he had been sitting. A rifle lay on the floor, where it had been dropped by the terrified child, who had accidentally fired it. The bullet had torn its fatal way through the boy’s clothing just above his hip and passed through his body. The other children were crying piteously. Dr. Coldicutt was immediately summoned, but his task was hopeless; he could only make the child’s last hour as comfortable as possible. The father, Mr. J. Garner, a contractor, received a telephone message and rushed home in time to spend a last few minutes with his son. The parents do not know how the rille came tq be loaded. It was last used for rabbit-shooting some time ago, but Mr. Garner is positive no cartridge was left in it. It is possible one of the children may have taken a cartridge from a shelf on which they were kept. The muzzle must have been close to the dead boy’s body when it was fired.