Greek man arrested over child’s freak Easter Sunday shooting

ATHENS, Greece – Greek police say they have arrested a man suspected of firing his gun in the air during Orthodox Easter celebrations and accidentally shooting in the head an eight-year-old girl playing in an adjacent village.

In a statement Wednesday, police said the 54-year-old faces charges of causing grievous bodily harm and possessing an unregistered firearm.

The girl suddenly collapsed Sunday in her garden in Thespies, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Athens — and 500 metres from the village where the Easter party was being held.

A bullet was found lodged in her skull, and she remains in hospital in critical condition.

Police said the bullet matched a handgun found hidden in the suspect’s home.

While illegal, celebratory gunfire at weddings and religious festivals is still popular in Greece.