Nine suspects charged in death of teenager by festive firing

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Wednesday charged nine men with possible manslaughter in connection with the death of an 18-year-old who was killed by a “stray bullet” at an election celebration in Amman. 

“We have nine men in custody following intense investigations that they fired live rounds during election celebrations,” a senior judicial source said.

Marian Saud, a relative of Amman Deputy Yehia Saud, was struck in the head and killed during an event to celebrate Saud’s election in her Jabal Taj neighbourhood in east Amman on September 24.

“We have sent the weapons seized from the defendants to the crime lab for a ballistic match to determine who fired the fatal bullet,” the judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The punishment for this offence could land the suspect a maximum of 20 years in jail, the source added.

Last year, the Public Security Department 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.