Police are investigating after a teacher allegedly shot a pupil in the face – with a STARTING PISTOL.
The child was rushed to hospital following the shocking incident in St Clement on the Channel Island of Jersey.
A male teacher has been suspended while officers quiz staff and witnesses at Le Rocquier School, a mixed secondary school for youngsters aged 11 to 16.
Details of the shooting emerged as Jersey’s Education Minister Patrick Ryan was questioned during a meeting of the island’s government.
He said: “All teacher suspensions are reviewed and my understanding is that the child is OK.”
Back bench politician, Deputy Trevor Pitman, said anxious parents deserved to know exactly what had happened.
He said: “For a teacher to fire a starting pistol in a child’s face, something must have gone seriously wrong.
“We don’t know whether it was an accident or something more sinister but my understanding is that a boy was hit in the face and a male teacher was suspended.
“Jersey can be a very secretive place but parents must have answers.”
The victim’s name and age have not been revealed but it is understood he was in his mid-teens.
States of Jersey police said officers were working with the alleged victim, the pupil’s family, as well as other children and teachers to find out what happened.
The school has refused to comment.
