A mother whose six-year-old son was shot in the head with an air pellet has said he could have been killed.
Harry Clayton was shot by thugs as he played football with his friends on Richmond Park Avenue, east Sheffield, on Wednesday afternoon.
The youngster, dripping with blood, ran home to his mother Charlotte, 36, telling her ‘something fell out of the sky’.
Nursery nurse Charlotte rushed Harry to Sheffield Children’s Hospital where doctors glued the wound and sent him home.
But, unknown to medics and other residents of the Handsworth area of Sheffield, Harry was the first of six victims of the air rifle attackers, who have left another boy in hospital with a serious wound to his neck.
South Yorkshire Police have arrested five teenagers suspected of being the bedroom window shooters.
Horrified mother-of-three Charlotte said: ‘That group of kids had been shooting at dogs on the Tuesday. One of my neighbours called the police but they never turned up.
‘Then on Wednesday they were at it again. Harry was playing football near a community centre with his friends when he was shot on the left hand side of his head.
‘He didn’t [know] what had happened. He came running back home.
‘Harry was the first one to be shot, around 11.30am, the others were shot around 2.30pm, so we had no idea what was going on at that early stage.
‘I was in the shower and my eldest shouted to me ”Harry’s cut his head open”, and I quickly washed my shampoo out to see to him.
‘We didn’t know what it was at that point. Harry just said ”something fell out of the sky”. He’s only six, so I just asked him what he was talking about.
‘I spoke to his friend and he said the same thing. I thought somebody had kicked a stone because the bleeding entry wound was a circle shape.
‘I took him to the children’s hospital and told them that I didn’t know what had happened.
Medics glued the wound and sent Harry home, unaware that the metal pellet was still lodged under his scalp.
But as more people fell victim to the teenage snipers police contacted the hospital to alert the medical staff.
Hospital staff then contacted Charlotte and asked her to return with Harry, and an X-ray showed the pellet embedded between his scalp and skull, about an inch away from the entry wound.
The pellet was removed and is now part of police evidence.
Charlotte said: ‘Luckily the pellet wasn’t too deep, so they could get it out by doing a little cut.
‘Obviously, they didn’t know it was a pellet gun when he went in the first time.
‘Harry didn’t cry or anything, but it could have been really serious. He could have been blinded or even killed.
Charlotte said another boy remains in hospital after another pellet fired by the yobs struck him in the neck close to his jugular vein.
‘He’s had to have surgery due to the injury,’ said Charlotte.
‘If the shooters had not been at such range they could have killed someone. At closer range a pellet could have been fatal.’
South Yorkshire Police stated: ‘We are appealing for witnesses after six people, including five children, were injured when unknown individuals allegedly fired an air rifle on Richmond Park Avenue, Sheffield.
‘We responded to reports of a shooting at 2.23pm yesterday (Wednesday 14 August), in which six people were injured.
‘Four boys, aged six, 11, 13, and 15, a 7-year-old girl, and a 62-year-old woman were injured in the reported shooting. Three of the children required a hospital operation to remove a pellet from their body.
‘Officers attended the scene and arrested five people – a 15-year-old girl, two boys aged 15 and 16, and two 18-year-old men – on suspicion of possession of a firearm and GBH. They have been bailed pending further enquiries.
‘A scene was established at an address on Richmond Park Avenue and officers are investigating.
‘We are now appealing for anyone who witnessed the alleged shooting, or has information that could help with enquiries, to get in touch.’
You can pass information to police online or by calling 101. Please quote incident number 488 of 14 August 2024 when you get in touch.
Alternatively, if you prefer not to give your personal details, you can stay anonymous and pass on what you know by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers. Call their UK Contact Centre on freephone 0800 555 111 or complete a simple and secure anonymous online form at Crimestoppers-uk.org.