Teen killed in festive shooting at elected MP’s headquarters — police

AMMAN — Police on Saturday night said an 18-year-old was killed after being struck with a “stray bullet” during a celebration at a newly elected deputy’s campaign headquarters in east Amman.

“The teen was hit with a stray bullet in the head and rushed to a nearby hospital where she died shortly afterwards,” Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

Sartawi added that police are investigating the incident and trying to “locate the weapon that fired the killing bullet”.

Local media outlets reported that the teenager’s family, angered over the shooting, allegedly damaged facilities at Al Bashir Hospital, where she was reportedly taken.  

Last year, the PSD announced strict measures against those who take part in festive firing. The department pledged to arrest any person who owns a gun without a licence or who fires weapons for any occasion.

Police have also locked up grooms whose weddings involved festive firing. 

In 2015, 35 people were arrested and 33 weapons were confiscated in festive firing cases, according to official figures released earlier this year.

The judiciary has introduced stiffer penalties to curb festive shooting and started charging perpetrators with manslaughter and attempted murder.
Individuals convicted of causing death by festive firing could receive up to 20 years in prison, and in cases of multiple fatalities, the shooter could be sentenced to life in prison. 

Those convicted of causing an injury by festive firing face up to 10 years in prison.