Stray bullet hits boy, 8

CEBU, Philippines - An eight-year-old boy was hit by a stray bullet in Sitio Kalinaw, Barangay Luz, Cebu City on Thursday.

Aida Laplana, the mother of the boy, said that his son was standing in their living room and was playing with their telephone when suddenly a cracking sound was heard from their roof, and in a few seconds, the boy complained of pain on his right thigh.

The boy’s father, Diosdado Laplana, then rushed the boy to Perpetual Succour Hospital.

A bullet hole was seen on the roof of the victim’s house and until now, authorities are still tracing where the bullet came from.

Senior Police Officer 4 Rey Cuyos, homicide section investigator of the Cebu City Police Office, said that the bullet was possibly fired by a neighbor but they are still asking the people in the neighborhood if they heard gunfire at the time the incident happened.

“Naay miingon nga wala sila kadungog og buto apan mangita pami og ilang silingan nga posibleng nakadungog og buto,” Cuyos said.

Cuyos added that the bullet came from a high direction and landed on the roof of the Laplana’s residence.

The bullet was taken out from the thigh of the boy after an operation at the hospital and will be used to identify the gun used in the shooting.

Further, the boy’s mother will be seeking financial assistance from the Cebu City government to pay for the medical expenses of her son which has reportedly reached P40,000. —/ATO (FREEMAN)