'Holen gun' kills 5-year-old boy in Maguindanao

Photo courtesy of Parang Police

PARANG, Maguindanao — A five-year-old child here was killed after he was accidentally shot by his cousin by a 'holen gun' or an improvised PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe gun powered by alcohol loaded with marbles while they were playing.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Jambiran, town police chief, said the incident happened in secluded village of Sitio Mangosteen in Barangay Gumagadong-Calawag past noon on Thursday.

“His cousin accidentally squeezed the trigger, not noticing it was loaded with a marble bullet that hit badly his younger cousin in the head,” said Jambiran.

Though there were efforts to save the victim, he was declared dead-on-arrival at a hospital in Cotabato City.

Holen guns in rural parts of Maguindanao are usually used to hunt birds or shoo away monkeys or wild boars ransacking planted crops. It is considered a deadly weapon by the police.

Jambiran appealed to residents to stop using this weapon as persons who will caught bringing this improvised gun could face criminal charges.

The suspect was turned over to Municipal Social Welfare Office for proper disposition and psycho-social intervention. The victim was set to be buried on Friday morning in accordance with Muslim tradition. —KBK, GMA News