A boy playing football in the street was shot in the head while retrieving his ball

23 May 2024 , 12:00

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A boy playing football in the street was shot in the head while retrieving his ball

The 11 year old suffered a fractured skull and was taken to Alder Hey hospital for surgery. He is now recovering. The incident happened at about 7.20pm on Monday

A schoolboy has been shot in the head as he went to get his football back while playing in the street with a friend.

As the 11-year-old boy climbed up to look over a fence for his mis-kicked ball, he was hit in the head by a metal pellet fired from what is thought to be an air weapon in Leyland, Lancashire. He suffered a fractured skull and was taken to Alder Hey hospital for surgery. 

Officers say the youngster is now recovering after the incident at about 7.20pm on Monday. Police have launched an investigation to find the person responsible. They are calling on the public to look at any dash cam or doorbell camera footage to see if it leads them to those involved. 

Detective constable Paul Brown, of South CID, said: “This incident has left a young boy with some really significant injuries, and it is fortunate he was not more seriously hurt or even killed. We are carrying out a number of enquiries to try and identify the person or persons responsible and I would appeal to anyone who saw what happened, has any dashcam or Ring doorbell footage, or who has any information which could assist our investigation to get in touch. 

“I’m sure someone in the local community knows who is responsible for what’s happened to this young boy and I would urge them to come and speak to us."

Call 101 with any information.

Sophia Martinez