Muscat: A man has been arrested for firing a stray bullet that killed another Omani national in Jalan Bani Bu Ali province last month, according to the Royal Oman Police (ROP).
An official at ROP said that the man, in his 30s, confessed to investigators that he was shooting dogs after they killed a number of his goats.
“One of the stray bullets hit the victim in his head, while he was sitting next to his friend on the street,” said the official. He died instantly.
In 2015, a four-year-old Saudi girl, Zainab Al Labad, was wounded after a stray bullet hit her cheek during a wedding celebration in Dibba province of Musandam.
The man who fired the gun was arrested and jailed for six months.
Celebratory gunfire is a common social practice during weddings in Gulf states, although authorities have criminalised it.
In 2014, a 12-year-old boy was killed when he accidentally shot himself while cleaning a decorative gun in Nakhal province.
The boy did not know that the gun was loaded.
As per the penal law, anyone found possessing a gun without a licence, can be fined 200 riyals.
Omanis use guns for hunting as well as for decorative purposes in their homes.
