Boy Shot in Head at Football Game

Lythal · #1 ● 11-18-2014, 01:54 AM

He's certainly lucky, it could have been a lot worse!

Terrified Connor Minto* was stood on the sidelines of a children's football match after he was substituted when he was hit.

The youngster ran to his parents because he thought he had been struck by a stone during the match on Saturday afternoon.

But his horrified father saw there was a .22 pellet lodged in his forehead, just above his left eye.

The boy, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Newcastle, where the pellet was removed and he received stitches.

Three 14-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with the incident and bailed pending further enquiries.

His mother, Kerry Minto, said that the youngster, who didn't initially understand what had happened, thought he was going to die.

She said: "He felt like he had been hit by a stone so he turned to his friend and asked him what had happened.

"His friend said told him he had a bullet in his head. At that point he didn't know it was a pellet, so he told us he thought he was going to die.

"Physically he has recovered from the incident but mentally he is terrified. He is scared to go out and he now sticks by me or his dad's side.

"He is worried he might have been specifically targeted. He knows the police have arrested people but he also knows they are not still locked up in the police station. He's scared if he goes out again they might attack again.

"I dread to think what could have happened if it would have been an inch or so lower - it would have changed his whole life.

"I think a lot of people aren't aware how dangerous air rifles can be. It's important that children are not left unsupervised with them."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...y-shot-4644739