A small Bay of Plenty town is reeling at the hunting death of 11-year-old Connor Phillips just days after another child in Central Otago was almost hit by a stray bullet.
Connor was just 15 minutes from his Reporoa home when he was accidentally shot in the Kaingaroa Forest yesterday afternoon.
With an infectious smile and an outgoing nature, Connor's warmth made him a popular kid – and his love of sport extended to hunting.
Three Christmases ago he got his first gun, but yesterday in the Kaingaroa Forest he was accidentally shot dead by an adult member of his hunting party.
"You know every human life is extremely valuable but the trauma within a family group or a close-knit friend situation when a child gets killed, it's pretty bad," says National Deerstalkers Association's Bill O'Leary.
Police say the group were in a remote area of the forest just north of Taupo. Their hunting trip came to an end and the adult was unloading a firearm when it discharged.
"The firearm has got to be pointed in a safe direction and sadly in this situation it appears it may not have been," says Mr O'Leary.
Trauma teams have been on site at Connor's Reporoa Primary School today, where he's described as a valued "young man admired and respected by his peers, a great school leader and an amazing sportsman".
Connor's death is a tragic reminder about safe gun use. Central Otago police today revealed they're investigating how another child was almost hit by a bullet just last week.
They say a stray bullet fired near the Cairnmuir Motor Camp struck a caravan, before exiting through a perspex window on the other side, narrowly missing a youngster inside watching television.
It was a near miss police stress could've been avoided if these key messages were adhered to.
They're simple protocols that are now very raw for Connor's family and their tight-knit community.
3 News
