Man hit by stray bullet dies of his injuries

AMMAN — A 43-year-old man, who a week ago was struck by a stray bullet while walking in a market in Madaba, died as a result of his wounds late Tuesday night, police and medical officials said Wednesday.

The victim, the father of five children, was walking with his wife near the Civil Status and Passports Department building in downtown Madaba last Thursday when he was struck by a stray bullet, a senior medical source said.

“The victim was rushed to a private hospital in Amman in critical condition suffering from a brain haemorrhage. He remained in a coma and died yesterday,” the medical source told The Jordan Times.

Pathologist Issa Gheishan, of the Madaba National Institute of Forensic Medicine, told The Jordan Times that the bullet struck the victim’s head from the back.

Public Security Department (PSD) Spokesperson Maj. Amer Sartawi confirmed that the victim died in hospital late Tuesday night.

“We have not made any arrests so far in connection with his death and ballistic tests at the criminal lab did not yield any results,” the police official told The Jordan Times.

Sartawi added that police are still searching for the perpetrator and hope to make an arrest soon.

In April, the PSD launched a campaign to crack down on celebratory gunfire at social occasions, ahead of summer and the wedding season.

The Iftaa Department also issued a religious edict in April urging people to abandon this practice because it disturbs the peace and harms others.

According to official figures released last October, three people were killed and 41 injured by festive firing in 2014.

At least 21 cases were registered last year against anonymous assailants, where shooters could not be identified, according to the PSD.