Two charged after boy killed in accidental shooting on rural NSW property
Police were called to a property in Windellama following reports of a shooting on Sunday morning. (ABC News: James Tugwell)
In short:
A man and a teenage boy have been charged after a nine-year-old boy was killed in an accidental shooting incident.
Paramedics tried to treat the boy at a property in Windellama, near Goulburn, but he died at the scene.
What's next?
The teenage boy is expected to appear in a children's court on May 16, while the man is expected to appear in court on May 14.
A man and a teenage boy have been charged over the accidental discharging of a firearm that killed a nine-year-old boy on a property in southern New South Wales.
Emergency services were called to a property in Windellama, near Goulburn, about 11:20am on Sunday following reports of a shooting.
Officers attached to the Hume Police District were told the nine-year-old had been injured after the accidental discharge of a firearm.
The rural property where the nine-year-old died is just outside Goulburn. (ABC News: James Tugwell)
Paramedics treated the boy for serious neck injuries, but he died at the scene.
Police established a crime scene at the property and are investigating the incident under Strike Force Dalzeill.
A 33-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy have since been charged after they were arrested and taken to Goulburn Police Station.
The man was charged with allowing an unauthorised person to possess a firearm and not keep a firearm safely.
He was given a court attendance notice and is expected to appear in Goulburn Local Court on May 14, according to NSW Police.
The teenage boy was charged with possessing an unauthorised firearm.
He was given conditional bail and is expected to appear before a children's court on May 16.
A 33-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy were arrested and charged over the incident. (ABC News)
'Someone's been hurt'
Ron Wenban lives two doors down from the property and had friends over when he heard a gunshot.
"It's rare to hear one shot here," he said.
"We were outside and I said to my partner, 'was that a shot?', and she said 'yeah'."
Mr Wenban said he didn't know his neighbours well but that they lived in Sydney and had bought the property about five years ago to use as a weekend holiday home.
Shortly after the gunshot, Mr Wenban said he heard sirens and, about an hour later, an emergency helicopter flew overhead.
"Once the chopper came over, I said to my partner 'someone's been hurt'," he said.
"To have a gunshot like that happen, that was a concern, neither of us wanted to go over there."
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Gun safety in focus
Goulburn Mulwaree mayor Nina Dillon called for rural communities to take utmost care with firearms after the tragedy. (ABC News: James Tugwell)
Nina Dillon, the mayor of Goulburn Mulwaree Council, said the incident reminded the community to take gun security seriously.
"The community takes gun safety very seriously, and for a young child to lose his life in such tragic circumstances is just terrible," she said.
"Nobody wants to have to live through a tragedy like this.
"Most rural properties have a gun, at the end of the day … they really need to be very careful as far as security," Cr Dillon said.