The dangerous habit of celebratory gunfire has claimed another victim in Lebanon: 7-year-old girl Tayouna Sarraf.
Sarraf was admitted to a nearby hospital after being hit by a stray bullet in the town of Minyara, northern Lebanon, on Sunday, but she passed away shortly afterward.
The shocking incident sparked outrage among the people of Minyara, who urged security forces to open an investigation in order to identify and punish the shooters.
In a statement, they called upon law enforcement agencies “to protect the innocent from having to pay, again and again, the price of the chaotic spread of weapons and the random shooting in celebrations and occasions, where there is no accountability or oversight.”
The source of the bullet that killed Sarraf has yet to be identified, but sources have told Lebanon24 that shots were fired during two separate celebrations in Minyara on Sunday; a wedding and an officer’s graduation.
Despite repeated warnings and awareness campaigns by security forces, celebratory gunfire remains a widespread, life-threatening issue in Lebanon that challenges the rule of law and continues to cause deaths across the country.
