A 10-year-old boy is in a Vancouver hospital with non-life threatening injuries after being shot over the weekend.
On Oct. 7, a group of people at a home in the Annie Lake Road area were preparing to go hunting. Alcohol was being consumed. A rifle went off inside in the house.
The bullet hit the boy, severely injuring his left arm and grazing his abdomen.
Family members applied First Aid and took the boy to the nearest residence with a phone, which was near the Mount Lorne Community Centre. Emergency Medical Services took the boy to Whitehorse General Hospital. After being assessed, he was taken by air ambulance to Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. He underwent emergency surgery.
Whitehorse RCMP was called to the home. A 68-year-old man was arrested and charged with careless use of a firearm and criminal negligence. He appeared in court on Oct. 8 and will return at a later date.
The subject is related to the victim, said Whitehorse RCMP Sgt. Don Rogers. Names are not being released out of respect for the family.
Drinking alcohol while handling a firearm was a “poor choice,” said Rogers. It should never happen, he said.