Teen boy ‘shoots’ neighbor in Ermita

A 15-YEAR-OLD boy who was playing with a loaded gun accidentally shot an older neighbor in barangay Ermita, Cebu City.

Police said a 9mm caliber pistol with seven bullets was recovered from the boy.

The victim, 23-year-old Jemer Merralles, was wounded in the abdomen.

It was not immediately known who owned the gun, police said.

Another resident, Rolando Cristobal Estrella, 33, was wounded in the right foot after he was hit by a stray bullet.

The boy and Merrales were sitting on a rip-rap fence Monday noon when the boy took out the gun.

The boy was tinkering with the weapon when it went off.

Police took the boy into custody and later released him to his parents after an amicable settlement with the victims’ relatives was reached. /CORRESPONDENT CHITO O. ARAGON