Trigger-happy guard: Boy shot dead for ‘not telling his name’

LAHORE:

A security guard at a general store in Hanjarwal shot a child dead on Tuesday after he refused to tell him his name, police said.

The guard fled the scene. Police said 11-year-old Ali Hamza had gone to the shop to get mobile phone credit. A guard at the shop asked him his name.

When Hamza refused to tell it, the guard shot him several times. The boy was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.

The guard fled the scene. Police said that Yasir too was quite young. Residents of the area told police that Yasir would often tease Hamza. The boy’s family held a demonstration against the police for not filing a case against the suspect on time. They blocked the road for traffic. A police team visited the scene and assured them that they would arrest Yasir. The protesters dispersed after that. Police registered a case against the suspect and took his father and brother into custody. They said they were still looking for Yasir.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2015.