Thursday, January 03, 2008 (Philippines)

STEPHANIE APOSTOL (inset), 11, was said to be playing when hit by a bullet from a .357 revolder inside this house in Bry. Basak, Lapu-Lapu City. The gun was reportedly thrown by the boy, 12, and it went off. A report that police still have to confirm with an independent witness is that the boy pointed the gun at the child while the children were playing. The mother had told the boy to unload the bullets, which the boy did, but one bullet apparently was still in the gun. (Sun.Star Photo/Allan Cuizon; INSET, Family Photo) AN 11-year-old girl was shot in the chest, allegedly by a 12-year-old neighbor, 15 minutes into the new year in Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City. Stephanie Apostol survived the shooting but is in critical condition. In Tuburan, a 14-year-old girl was found dead inside a hut in Barangay Canduawan, Tabogon in northern Cebu on New Year’s Day. There are conflicting accounts on the Lapu-Lapu shooting. Police said the .357 revolver went off when the boy threw it on the table while his parents were fighting. But an aunt of the victim said that Stephanie told her parents the boy aimed the gun at her before shooting. [full story]