- The father admitted to police that he left the weapon loaded in his headboard before going to town.
- This is the second time in two months that a child has shot another child in the Mqanduli area.
Another child has died in Mqanduli after playing with a gun left within easy reach.
On Wednesday morning, a 14-year-old boy shot and killed an 11-year-old boy at a home in the PhezukweWilo locality.
The weapon was a homemade gun belonging to the teenager's father.
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Police spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo said officers were called to the scene at 10.30am. When they arrived, the 11-year-old was already dead inside the house.
The father of the teenage suspect made a shocking admission to the police.
"His father confirmed that he left it being loaded in the drawer of a headboard whilst going to town," Matyolo said.
The 14-year-old initially ran away after the shooting. However, his father later found him and handed him over to the police.
The teenager is now facing a charge of murder.
Matyolo said police have not ruled out charging the father as well.
This is not the first time this has happened in the area recently.
In October, an eight-year-old boy shot and killed his seven-year-old cousin at the Nothintwa locality, also in Mqanduli.
In that case, the child found his father's licensed firearm in a bedroom and pulled the trigger while playing. The father was charged with failure to safeguard a firearm.
