New Year's Eve bullets kill 4-year-old boy and wound another
Bizarre tragedy after child dies after being hit by a stray bullet fired two miles away
Just 20 minutes into 2010, 4-year-old Marquel Peters fell to the floor during a service at the Church of God of Prophecy, in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents were initially unaware of what had caused him to collapse, but a falling bullet illegally fired during New Years Eve celebrations two miles away had pierced the roof of the church and hit Marquel in the head. He was taken to hospital where he later died.
His mum, Nathalee Peters, recalls, "I saw his Nintendo game fall on the floor, and I heard a sound and I heard him scream a little bit and I looked around and all I saw was blood coming from his head."
Mum Nathalee has urged the shooter or anyone with information to come forward, despite the police stating it’s highly unlikely that the shooter is aware of the damage that has been caused. The bullet is being examined for any matches on the ballistics database.
The grief stricken family plans on returning to the church for Marquel's funeral service.
A little South of Georgia in Miami, a 6-year-old Italian boy, Andrea Fregonese, was also shot by a stray bullet.
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Despite the authorities urging people to refrain from firing their guns in celebration of the New Year, Andrea was struck by a falling bullet, which pierced his chest and stopped short of his heart.
Andrea and his family were sitting at an outside restaurant at the time. Only after complaining of chest pains did his parents remove his shirt to find a bullet entry wound.
After undergoing an emergency operation Andreas is said to be in a stable condition.
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