According to the prosecution authority, a 13-year-old South African kid who was detained after he reportedly shot and injured his principal could face an adult trial.
The boy, whose identity is unknown, is accused of trying to kill someone. His purported 51-year-old victim is presently in the hospital’s critical care unit getting better.
In South Africa, where there is rising concern over violence in schools, the shooting has stunned a lot of people.
In Friday’s shooting at a primary school in Germiston, east of Johannesburg’s major metropolis, the student is accused of using his father’s gun.
The father was also detained on suspicion of handling a firearm carelessly, and Col. Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, a police spokesperson, told the BBC that he was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
The youngster allegedly created a “hitlist” of three instructors “who were giving him problems in school,” according to Gauteng province’s Education Minister Matome Chiloane, who made the accusation during a visit to the school on Monday.
“His pals told us during our interview that this had been planned for some time. They appeared to be coordinating and organizing this gory event using a WhatsApp group.
He claimed the student had previously brought firearms to class. Regarding the accusations, neither the youngster nor his father have responded.
A 12- or 13-year-old is deemed not to have “criminal capacity” under South Africa’s Child Justice Act, unless the state can demonstrate otherwise.
In the instance of this shooting, a court has mandated an evaluation of the boy’s cognitive, moral, emotional, psychological, and social development in addition to a report on his capacity for moral judgment, at the behest of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Next, the magistrate will determine whether or not he can face an adult trial.
NPA spokesman Phindi Mjonondwane told the BBC that this was being done to decide how best to move forward with the case.
Pretty Ndlovu, a senior social worker at the nonprofit National Children and Violence Trust, expressed concern about the incidence of gun crimes in the nation and their effects on children in light of the case.
In Gauteng, the most populous and economically central province of South Africa, school safety has been a serious problem.
Weeks prior, at a secondary school south of Johannesburg, a pupil was fatally stabbed and another was seriously hurt when there was a shooting.
Following that incident, Mr. Chiloane pledged to bolster security at all of the province’s schools.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi of Gauteng announced on Monday that CCTV cameras are being used to monitor “selected high-risk schools” that have been recognized by the department of education.
