…the couple made frantic efforts to get medical attention for their child hit by stray bullet, but hospital demanded a police report as a condition for attending to the child.
The iNews Times brings you report of a heart-wrenching incident that occurred in Umuoba-Uratta community in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State where a child was hit by a stray bullet.
Emmanuel Eleweke, a 20-month-old child, was tragically killed by a stray bullet. The circumstances surrounding the shooting are still shrouded in mystery, with no clear indication of who fired the gunshot or reason for the shot.
According to the child’s mother, Kelechi Eleweke, the tragic incident happened around 10PM on Monday.
Recounting the moments leading up to the tragedy, Mrs Eleweke said she was with her son on the bed after dinner and night prayer. Suddenly, she heard a loud sound and felt a splash of sand-like objects on her body, followed by her son’s desperate cry for help.
She described the scene, “He persistently shouted ‘mummy, mummy’. The next thing I saw was blood all over his body and on the bed.” She quickly carried her child and rushed out in attempts to get help, accompanied by her husband, Okechukwu.
The iNews Times learnt the couple made frantic efforts to get medical attention for their son, first they visited a nearby private hospital, but the hospital demanded a police report as a condition for attending to the child.
After some persuasion, the hospital staff finally put a bandage around the child’s head and directed them to take him to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Owerri.
Sadly, the child was pronounced dead on arrival at the FMC in Owerri.
The child’s father, Okechukwu Eleweke, expressed his grief and frustration, saying, “We don’t know where the bullet came from.”
Eleweke mentioned that they learned about sporadic gunshots in the area that night from their neighbors, but they had no idea what caused the shooting.
Reacting to the shocking incident, a former youth leader, Chika Ibeawuchi, described it as strange and tragic. “This is a tragedy. It has never happened before in this community,” Mr. Ibeawuchi said, appealing to the police to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.
A senior police officer at the Owerri North Police Divisional Headquarters has confirmed that the police are working to unravel the circumstances surrounding the shooting and identify those responsible.
