Boy, 7, dies in shooting accident

RAWAI: A seven-year-old boy, Chalermpol Kriengkrai, accidentally shot and killed himself on Saturday night. According to Pol Capt Chana Suttimas of Chalong Police Station, the accident took place at around 10:30 pm at 71/12 Saiyuan Rd in Rawai. He said that while Chalermpol’s parents were celebrating the Chinese New Year with staff of their speedboat rental company, Nikorn Marine Co, they heard a gunshot from a grassland nearby. Investigating the noise, they found Chalermpol lying in the grass with a bullet wound in the right side of his chest and a pistol lying beside him. He was rushed to Phuket International Hospital, but died soon after in the hospital’s emergency room. “He may have found the gun on the ground and started playing with it, causing it to fire,” said Capt Chana, “or it could also be that he dropped the gun and it went off. “In any case, we are investigating and trying to find out how he got hold of the gun in the first place,” said Capt Chana.