Boy plays with bullet, shoots self

16-year-old strikes .45-caliber slug he found in back yard.

Staff report
Posted December 10 2005

Lake Worth · A 16-year-old boy who found a bullet in his back yard on Friday ended up shooting himself, Lake Worth police said.

Jose Delgado played with the .45-caliber bullet shortly before noon at his house in the 1400 block of Tropical Drive in Lake Worth before using a hammer and screwdriver to hit the back of the bullet. The bullet fired and hit him in the abdomen, police said.

An officer kept pressure on Delgado's wound until paramedics arrived and took the boy to Delray Medical Center, where he was treated for his injury and released.

"This kid could have died from this," Sgt. Dan Boland said.

"There's a bunch of vital organs in there."

Police on Friday warned against playing with bullets or guns. Children should tell their parents about the bullet, and parents should call the police to dispose of it.

"It's like lighting a firecracker and throwing it, then going to pick it up when it doesn't go off," Boland said.

"It could blow up in your hands."

Officers didn't find a gun in Delgado's house. No charges will be filed against his parents, police said.


Linky