In a deeply tragic accident, a 10-year-old boy in Nigeria’s Anambra State has unintentionally shot and killed his father, a serving police inspector, with a service-issued rifle.
The Anambra State Police Command reported that the incident took place at the officer’s home in Awka on the evening of Saturday, 15 June 2025.
Police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga revealed that Inspector Okolie Amechi’s young son unknowingly fired an AK-47 rifle that had been assigned to the officer. The bullet fatally wounded the Inspector and also injured one of his other children.
“The child, unaware of the condition of the weapon, pulled the trigger. The round hit Inspector Amechi in the back and his second child in the hand,” SP Ikenga said in a statement issued on Monday.
Inspector Amechi was declared dead on arrival at hospital, while his injured child is currently receiving treatment and responding well, according to the police.
The firearm has been recovered by authorities, and the inspector’s body has been taken to the local morgue.
“The Command is deeply saddened by this tragic loss and extends heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the deceased,” Ikenga added. “We also wish the injured child a speedy recovery.”
No details have yet been released regarding the protocols that led to the firearm being accessible in a family setting. The Command has promised to review the circumstances surrounding the case.
