Boy accidentally shoots playmate with pen gun

MANILA, Philippines — A 13-year-old boy accidentally shot and injured his playmate with a pen gun, which the two were toying with on Sunday morning in Tondo, Manila.

The out-of-school minor, a resident of Building 7, Permanent Housing in Balut, Tondo, told the police that he and Marlon Cascante, a playmate of the same age, were twiddling with the improvised firearm inside one of the buildings of Permanent Housing at around 12 a.m. when the gun accidentally fired, hitting the latter in his left pelvis.

Inspector Romeo Balagtas of the Raxabago Police Station said that Cascante was immediately taken to Tondo Medical Center for treatment. The victim is now in stable condition at the medical facility, according to the case investigator.

The police said the homemade pen gun was loaded with a bullet of a real gun whose caliber the police were still determining, as of Sunday.  The pen gun was owned and made by the boy.

The gun wielding boy, according to Balagtas, surrendered to the authorities and has been turned over to the Reception and Action Center of the Manila Social Welfare and Development in Arroceros where he will undergo diversion and rehabilitation programs.