Stray bullet kills child in Jerash, suspect arrested —PSD

AMMAN — Police on Sunday announced the arrest of a suspect in connection with the death of a 12-year-old boy who was reportedly killed by a stray bullet in Jerash last week.

The victim received a bullet to his head while standing next to his home in Jerash on October 20, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was declared dead on arrival, Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

“We immediately formed a special task force to investigate the incident,” the police official said.

The task force combed the surrounding area, “searching for anyone who held a special party or celebration on the day the young man was shot and killed,” said Sartawi.

“We were able to pinpoint a suspect who confessed to using a weapon during a celebration on that day,” Sartawi added.

The suspect also handed investigators the “weapon he said that he used in the shooting incident,” he said.

The weapon was sent to the crime lab for a ballistic test, which returned a positive match to the bullet which hit the child, according to a statement by the Public Security Directorate (PSD).

The suspect was referred to the criminal court prosecutor for further questioning and indictment, the PSD statement added.

The PSD urged the public to refrain from using live ammunition at all times, stating that “this is a deadly phenomenon that results in the death of innocent people”.

“The PSD will keep all files of unknown cases of stray bullets open until everyone who fired a live round is arrested and brought to justice,” the PSD statement said.