Boy, 12, dies after playing with father's gun

A 12-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself with the service firearm of his father which he brought to school on Thursday in San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan.

According to Marisol Abdurahman's report on "24 Oras," the child was playing with a 9mm Beretta when it suddenly went off.  He was immediately taken to the hospital but later died. 

“Dito sa may chin, lumabas sa ilong at tumama fired bullet sa kisame. From kisame, nag invade doon sa yero o doon sa hard object,” said Colonel Rannie Lumactod, San Jose Del Monte chief of police.

“Due to curiosity of the young age of the victim, na-unclock niya yung firearm, pag-pull niya ng trigger, it happened, pumutok yung baril. Sa kakalaro niya, akala niya, yung game na ginagawa niya, maybe the same sa real na buhay. Whereas in real, kapag tinamaan ka, di ka na marerevive,” Lumactod added.

The child's father, who owns the gun and is a police officer, will face administrative charges for negligence.

“Maganda kung unloaded yung baril sa bahay. Pagka may baril ka dapat meron lock receptacle o container na nakalock siya,” said Ticky Tabujara of the group Responsible Owners of Guns.

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to identify schools that must undergo spot inspections of their students and teachers since the incident happened just after a student stabbed his classmate inside a school in Quezon City.

The authorities also urged the school administrators to tighten school security to prevent crimes inside learning institutions.—Sherylin Untalan/LDF, GMA Integrated News