THE police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of eleven-months-old Cleoma Patterson which occurred at about 13:30 hrs Tuesday at Mahdia Airstrip Road, Mahdia.

Police investigations revealed that the father of the baby girl who is a miner, reportedly claimed that he found the .38 Rossi revolver with one live round on Tuesday while working in the backdam and claimed that he was taking the firearm to the Mahdia Police Station but stopped at his home on the way.

He reportedly left the firearm on a table in the home and was downstairs with his wife when their five-year-old son came home from school, went upstairs and was playing with the firearm causing the round to be discharged which struck Cleoma Patterson to her head.
She was pronounced dead-on-arrival at the Mahdia Hospital.