Boy, 8, dies after being shot in the head at Warcop Farm

An eight-year-old boy has died after being shot in the head and face on a farm.

A man in his 60s who was held on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter has been released on bail.

Cumbria Police said they were called at around 2:50pm BST on Saturday to reports that the boy had been injured by a firearm in Warcop.

The child was taken to hospital by rescue helicopter, but died overnight.

A Cumbria Police spokesman said the firearm was “recovered at the scene”.

Officers are continuing to investigate the circumstances and have urged anyone who witnessed the incident or the moments leading up to it to come forward.

A resident of the nearby village of Brough told the PA news agency he was driving past the scene of the accident near the A66 dual carriageway on Saturday afternoon when he saw paramedics, police cars and a helicopter.

Frank Chalmers said: “I passed the farm about 3pm. I saw the helicopter with its rotors stopped and paramedics marching up the hill, lots of police, maybe five police cars. A car was parked in the middle of an empty parking lot field.

“It all looked very serious. Normally they don’t come out with such violence.”

The 73-year-old pensioner said the area where the Eden Valley incident occurred was “very, very rural”.

David Wood, who lives in the Brookside area of ​​Warcop, said it was “so sad and shocking” and “a real tragedy”.

He said: “I'm shocked but it's hard to describe. A life taken far too soon.”

“We don’t know the family, but the awareness that a little boy’s life is over is bound to impact people.”

An elderly woman told the BBC it was “absolutely terrible what happened”.

A man who lives nearby added: “As a grandfather you think you don't care about your grandchildren's world and you can't replace them. So it’s just terrible for the family.”

“I don’t know who it is, but her whole family will be devastated.”