Girl, 13, shot in the head by boy, 7

A 13-year — old schoolgirl was shot in the head by a seven-year-old male relative while she was seated in a Kia SUV vehicle at Valsayn yesterday.

The boy was reportedly taking the 9 mm gun for his uncle when he accidentally pulled the trigger causing a single bullet to be fired. The bullet struck Daniella Carrington, 13, on the right side of the head. She slumped in the van and was rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. There were conflicting reports as to exactly what had happened. One of the reports indicated that the boy might have been playing with the gun, and shot  the girl who is believed to be his sister, but this could not be confirmed because relatives would not speak to the media. Specialists at the EWMSC carried out an emergency surgery and the girl was placed in the Intensive Care Unit. Doctors told Newsday that the girl is out of danger.

The seven-year-old, who was said to be traumatised over the incident, was treated for shock and was comforted by relatives. Pete Carrington, owner of the gun who is the manager of Innovative Security, a security firm in San Fernando, told officers yesterday at the St Joseph Police Station that he left his Mclean Drive, San Fernando home yesterday with Daniella and other relatives. They were supposed to pick up friends at Valsayn and then head to a beach at Toco. He claimed that on reaching Valsayn around 9 am, he placed the 9 mm gun under the mat of the driver’s seat and went to pick up a cooler. According to Carrington, the seven-year-old relative saw the gun under the mat and pick it up. He was making his way to the area where Carrington was standing when the gun accidentally went off.

The single bullet struck the head of Daniella Carrington who went into an unconscious state. She was rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where emergency surgery was carried out. For several hours yesterday, doctors worked feverishly to save the life of the girl. Her prognosis later, was described as satisfactory. By late yesterday doctors said she was out of danger. Relatives, who refused to speak about the incident, held hands and prayed outside the Intensive Care Unit. Carrington’s gun was seized by the police, who returned to the scene of the incident with a police photographer. The traumatised Carrington family were allowed to leave after giving statements to the police. A party of officers led by ACP Oswyn Allard, Snr Supt Ghany, Supt Anthony, Ag Inspector Modeste, Cpls Hobbs, Eric Parks and others visited the scene. Police investigators said yesterday that all guns come with safety clips and Carrington, who is a manager with a security company, should have been more careful with his gun. They added that further investigations will be carried out to find out if the information relayed to the police is accurate. A report will then be forwarded to the office of the Ag Commissioner. Cpl Hobbs is investigating.