Two-year-old girl succumbs to injury from ‘stray bullet’

AMMAN — A two-year-old girl died on Sunday of wounds she sustained on Friday when a stray bullet reportedly struck her in Salt City, a security officer told The Jordan Times. 

Salma Abu Saleem was playing outside her parents' house in Salt, some 35km northwest of Amman, when a stray bullet struck her in the head, according to a relative, who said that she was in a coma for two days before being pronounced dead on Sunday. 

Saad Abu Saleem said the child was reportedly hit by a bullet from a nearby celebration in the same neighbourhood. 

Maj. Wasfi Etoum, the acting spokesperson of the Public Security Department, said Salma's father informed Salt police that there was only one celebration in the area and the stray bullet may have come from that event, which was held to celebrate a graduation of a university student. 

"Police referred the man, the father of the graduate, to the authorities," Etoum said, adding that the man denied that the event included festive firing.

The prosecutor general ordered the release of the man until the ballistic results are out, the police officer said, noting that an “atwa” ––  a tribal agreement that functions as a temporary conciliation between conflicting parties until civic law decides on the case –– has been reached between the two families until further investigations. 

Salma's death triggered outrage on social media, with several users denouncing the death of innocent people because of "irresponsible" festive acts. 

"Why would an innocent child die because of irresponsible people," said Alaa Al Rayyan on Facebook. 

Tareq Al Qbeelat wrote on his Facebook page that such "idiotic and barbaric" acts of celebrations should stop. 

Photos of the child in coma at the hospital were shared by dozens of people on social networks.