EASTERN CAPE - BOY ALLEGEDLY SHOT WITH PELLET GUN IN THE HEAD BY NEIGHBOUR FOR BEING 'NOISY'

A little boy was shot with a pellet gun, allegedly by a neighbour, supposedly for being noisy, the Daily Dispatch reported.

Jayden Stride, 6, still has the pellet lodged in his head almost a week after the incident as he awaits an operation at Frere Hospital.

A resident at Garcia Flats in Cambridge, East London, denied firing at Stride, who has not been back to school owing to his injury and trauma, according to the report.

The child's grandmother Sandra Kirsten told the publication that they had a fright when the child came home bleeding on Saturday. He was taken to hospital where x-rays showed the pellet stuck in his head. It is expected to be removed on Monday.

The man denied shooting the child, but confirmed he owned a pellet gun for the past three years which he used to shoot rats in the block.

He told the East London newspaper that the tenants constantly accuse him of things because they want him "out of here".

The child was shot 100m from his home, he said, and there was "no way" he could shoot that far.

Police spokesperson Captain Mluleki Mbi confirmed to News24 that a case of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm was under investigation.

No arrests have been made.

They were waiting for more witness statements, Mbi said.

via - NEWS24