Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder,Agency: Central European News 

An eight-year-old boy has died after accidentally being shot in the head by a rubber bullet allegedly fired by a 35-year-old drunk man who was shooting at empty beer cans during a party.

The incident took place in the city of Nizhny Tagil in the south-western Russian region of Sverdlovsk Oblast when the young victim, identified as Egor Korkunov, was playing with his friends.

Local media said that the 35-year-old suspected, identified as Aleksander, was drunk when he was shooting rubber bullets at empty beer cans with pals at a nearby alcohol-fuelled party.

Korkunov was reportedly hit in the head with a bullet while passing by at the wrong moment.

According to local media, Aleksander tried to flee the scene and dumped the weapon in the garden of a nearby house.

Meanwhile, the eight-year-old boy was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in the city of Yekaterinburg for emergency treatment.

Reports said that the boy underwent several operations, but surgeons had to leave the rubber bullet in the patient’s head due to its position and risk of removing it.

The incident took place in August 2019, but his sister Alina confirmed on social media that the victim passed away on 12th January.

He had reportedly been in a coma since being admitted at the hospital.

The case was initially being investigated as hooliganism, but it will now reportedly only be upgraded to grievous bodily harm in the wake of the boy’s death, according to local media.

The suspect remains free on bail as the investigation continues.

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