An eight-year-old who died after being shot in the face and head on a farm in Cumbria has today been named by police.
Jay Cartmell, from Frizington, West Cumbria, died after sustaining serious head injuries in a shooting incident on farmland near Warcop on Saturday.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, near the A66, at 2.05pm after a child had sustained ‘serious and life-threatening injuries’ from a firearm.
Jay was taken to hospital by air ambulance, but the young boy sadly passed away overnight.
A man in his 60s, from West Cumbria, was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, but Cumbria Police have confirmed last night that he has been bailed.
Jay died after sustaining serious head injuries in an incident on farmland near Warcop, Cumbria
One police car was parked on a field at around 3pm on Saturday after rushing to the scene
A firearm was recovered from the field, which is close to Wheatsheaf Farm, near Warcop, by officers.
Sources told The Sun that the man, who was also not a local to the area, was shooting rabbits on the field with the landowner’s permission when the tragedy occurred.
Rabbiting is legal on private land in the UK, provided the gun owner has the correct firearms licence and written permission from the landowner.Â
Councillor Heidi Strong, of Warcop Parish Council, said it was ‘a horrible, horrible tragedy.’
‘People are really shook up about it,’ she said. ‘All I can say is it was definitely an accident but we don’t know the ins and outs of what happened.’
Mrs Strong said she thought the boy was not local to Warcop and speculated that he had been with a shooting party out ‘shooting rabbits’.
The tiny village of Warcop is home to around 500 people, with two churches and a small primary school.
A video posted online showed several emergency vehicles parked at the farm, which lies right next to the busy A66 and a short distance to Warcop village itself, around 3pm.
Local Frank Chalmers, 73, said he saw five police cars and an air ambulance as he drove to his home in nearby Brough.
‘I was just passing by in the car when I saw the police and an air ambulance,’ he said. ‘It is the most awful tragedy for the family and the community.’
Wheatsheaf Farm has not been a working livestock farm since the 1980s and instead tenants rent the land for sheep grazing.
A view of the fields and road which runs through the farm where the boy was shot
One tenant said it was rumoured that the boy had been attending the Brough Hill travellers’ horse fair, which is held on the last weekend in September.
One young man in the village found out the news from a friend who lives outside the area.
He said: ‘I heard what happened and it’s terrible.
‘This is all word of mouth but apparently it was an accident.’
A third man, who was also a parent, said: ‘I’ve had my friends ask me this morning about it.
‘It’s a sad thing to happen here but but I don’t know the family. It’s a quiet village but people have been quiet about it so far today.’
A man in his 60s was initially detained on suspicion of GBH assault but was rearrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
The man has now been bailed as investigations continue.
A Cumbria Police spokesperson said: ‘A man arrested following the death of an eight-year-old boy has been bailed whilst police continue with their investigations.
‘As officers continue with their enquiries, they are encouraging anyone who may have witnessed the incident or the moments leading up to it to come forward.’
Officers are encouraging anyone who may have witnessed the incident or the moments leading up to the incident to come forward, they said today.Â
