A 12-year-old boy has been charged with murder after he found his father’s gun and shot his little brother dead, Limpopo police said.

Their mother heard the gun shot on Saturday morning and rushed her younger child, 3, to the local clinic in gaMolepo in Mankweng but he was certified dead on arrival, said Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.

He said the father, 53, who is a former security officer, apparently left his firearm in a bag that was hung against a wall in his room.

The child managed to access the gun and somehow shoot his younger brother.

Police seized the gun as part of their investigation.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba condemned the shooting and said that appropriate steps should be taken against the father for allegedly keeping the weapon in contravention of the Firearms Control Act.

“I urge all lawful firearm owners to, at all times keep them in the locked safes to avoid unauthorised access.”

Mojapelo said the older brother would be dealt with in accordance with the processes governing children who were in conflict with the law.

“Probation officers have already been engaged to take the process forward. Police investigations into the circumstances of the shooting are already underway.”