Boy, 12, shot with air rifle

A 12-year-old Taupo boy is recovering in hospital after he was shot in the face with an air rifle.

Police said yesterday they were yet to confirm whether the incident was an accident, but said they would speak to two members of the boy's family today.

They were not seeking anyone else over the shooting.

The boy was expected to remain in hospital for observation for another two days.

St John Ambulance Taupo area manager Graham Harvey said the boy's parents took him to Taupo Hospital late on Wednesday night with a slug wound to the left side of his face.

He said the slug exited his face below the jaw. It remains unclear how he was shot but Mr Harvey believed that because of the angle of the wound the boy "definitely" could not have caused the injury himself.

"There may have been a little bit of tomfoolery involved," he said. "I don't think it was a hunting accident."

Taupo Detective Senior Sergeant Todd Pearce said police had yesterday executed a search warrant on the family home at Wairakei, about 5km north of Taupo, where they recovered an air rifle and some pellets.

Lakes District Health Board spokeswoman Sue Wilkie said the boy was in a "comfortable" condition with family members at his bedside and would undergo further assessment before being released.