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Channel 2000 - Pellet Kills Riverside County Boy
Pellet Kills Riverside County Boy
BB Lodges Near 9-Year-Old's Heart
Paul J. Young, Staff Writer
March 12, 2001, 8:24 p.m. PST
NORCO, Calif. -- Riverside County authorities say that a death in
Norco this week once more underscores why it's necessary for any
type of gun to be handled with extreme care.
Riverside County sheriff's officials say that a 9-year-old boy died
Monday morning from a pellet wound.
The victim, Travis Ritchie, apparently was playing in a vacant lot
with friends late Sunday when he was shot.
Witnesses told investigators that Travis was dodging behind trees
and other objects as two friends fired an air rifle in his
direction. The boys were taking pot shots at makeshift targets,
authorities say, and Travis may have goaded them to take aim at him.
They did, despite warnings from a passer-by who yelled at the boys
to quit fooling around, according to CBS 2 News.
A pellet found its mark and lodged adjacent to the victim's heart.
"He knew that he had been shot," Riverside County Sheriff's
Department spokesman Mark Lohman told CBS 2 News Monday. "However,
right off the bat, they didn't realize how serious the injury was.
"Travis was saying that he didn't feel real good, so they told him,
'Sit down; rest for a little bit.' But as he started feeling worse,
the boys realized that they needed to take him home to his parents."
By that time it was apparently too late.
The victim's father called 911, and Travis was rushed to Riverside
Community Hospital, where he died hours later.
Investigators told CBS 2 News that the fourth-grader was shot at a
range of 20 feet. The BB penetrated several inches into chest.
The air rifle used in the fatal accident was a Crosman repeater.
The packaging and instructions included with the BB gun clearly
advise adult supervision anytime the rifle is used.
Lohman said that no charges will be filed against the parents or
children connected to the fatal accident.
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