BOY KILLS FOSTER-FATHER

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 July 1937, Page 2

BOY KILLS FOSTER-FATHER

SHOOTS HIMSELF AFTER CHASE. BRISBANE, June 30. A sixi epu-year-old boy nt Windsor shot his foster-father dead early tonight, and wounded his foster-mot iter. After a. chase by police, during which ho fired almost at point blang range, he shot himself through the forehead, and died later. The victims were:- — Head: William Rodpath Bennett. n<>. a fruit inspector in the Agricultural Department, of Cocks-streef, Windsor. Alexander George Bennett, 16. of 106 Amy-street, Spring Hill, his fosterson. Injured: Mrs. Annie Bonnett, -Ik. of ('ocks-sireet, Windsor, bullet wound in loft cheek. Bonnett senior opened the back door of his home in answer to a knock, and a shot was fired at him. Ho collapsed in the doorway, and died two hours later in hospital. His wife screamed for help at the first shot, and was at the window calling to neighbours when she received a bullet wound in the cheek. 'Die boy was adopted by the Bonnots when he was two years old. He loft their homo a few months ago after they had remonstrated with him for keeping company with a 14-yoar-old girl and wont to Amv-street. Spring Hill. After the police had been informed of the tragedy the search began for the boy. Learning that ho was friendly with a girl living at Bowen Bridge, they wont to hop home. The girl wp,s not there, so, talcing her father with them, the police searched several nearb'' streets. As they wore driving along Victoria-street they saw the youth and girl sitting behind a pile of old sleepers. When the car drew dose they saw the couth lean down and pick up a pea-rifle. As the police jumped from the car the youth pointed the rifle at them and. at about 2D wirds' ranee, fired, the bullet, passing between two detectives. He then dashed into the nearby monumental works, which' were soon surrounded by police. The. youth then fired another shot at the police in tho darkness. The bullet went wide. Il was followed by a further shot, and when tho police rushed into the yard they found that the boy had shot himself.