Police in Mankweng have opened a case of murder after a 12-year-old boy shot his three-year-old brother dead at Makgeng village, gaMolepo, in the Mankweng district east of Polokwane.
The mother, who heard the gun shot, found the critically injured child and rushed him to the local clinic but he was certified dead on arrival.
The firearm belonged to their 53-year-old father, a former security officer, who was apparently not at home at the time of the incident.
The firearm has been seized by the police and an investigation is presently being conducted.
Limpopo police commissioner Lt-Gen Nneke Ledwaba has condemned the incident and directed that, in addition to the investigation into the circumstances of the shooting, appropriate steps must be taken against the father for keeping the firearm in contravention of the Firearms Control Act.
“I urge all lawful firearm owners to, at all times keep them in the locked safes to avoid unauthorised access,” said Ledwaba.
The 12-year-old suspect would be dealt with in accordance with the processes governing children in conflict with the law, police said. Probation officers had already been engaged to take the process forward, they said.
"Police investigations into the circumstances of the shooting are already under way."
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