Shooting victim may have been hit by stray bullet
Police investigating the shooting of a five-year-old boy in a school playground were today considering the possibility that he could have been struck by a stray bullet from a hunter’s gun.
Darren Summers was shot yesterday lunchtime in the playground of St Patrick’s Primary School in Mullinaskea, a quiet rural village three miles outside Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.
Officers have appealed to anyone who was hunting in the area at the time to come forward.
The boy was taken to Erne Hospital with serious head injuries after being shot in the head and was later transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where he remains in a critical condition.
A spokeswoman for the hospital said the family had asked that the media respect their privacy.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland appealed to any person who heard shooting near the school between 1pm and 3pm to come forward.
“Officers want to hear from anyone who may have been shooting for sport or vermin in the vicinity between those times and are keen to build up a picture of any shooting that may have taken place in the area over the past few weeks,” said a spokesman.
He added that anyone who was shooting in the area should come forward so that they could be eliminated from the inquiry.
Police are working on the theory that the boy suffered a gunshot wound but have not yet determined what weapon was used or the circumstances in which the shot was fired. Pupils, parents and teachers may be interviewed as part of the investigation.
Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Kyle is leading a team of detectives, based in Enniskillen.
Darren, lives with his parents Gerald and Janine Summers, on a housing estate in Drumbeg, just outside Enniskillen. He was in his first year, known as primary one, at the Catholic school.
