Chilling moment wedding turns into tragedy as groom slain by celebratory gunfire

22 September 2023 , 15:12

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Policeman Hamzeh Al Fanatseh was killed by a stray bullet (Image: PSD/WEPR19)

A wedding in Jordan turned into an unimaginable tragedy when the groom was accidentally killed by celebratory gunfire.

Thousands gathered in Ma’an, southern Jordan, for the funeral of policeman Hamzeh Al Fanatseh who was killed by a stray bullet the day before. The Public Security Directorate (PSD) issued a sharply written statement on Wednesday mourning the loss of Fanatseh and urging citizens to end the "deadly habit."

The PSD said that anyone who has ever fired a gun during a celebration, claiming it as an act of "manhood" or of joy, is complicit in the killing of Fanatseh.

The reports suggested that the bride was at the salon when she received the news that the groom had been struck by celebratory gunfire. Many took to social media to send prayers to the late groom’s family and call for more stringent penalties for those who use firearms in public celebrations.

"My heart aches for this young man, although I don’t know him… when will this terrible tradition end?", Facebook user Jumana Murad wrote. Jamal Zu’bi wrote: "I am overwhelmed by sadness over this young man… I can’t imagine what his mother or bride must be feeling."

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“I have been hearing about such incidents since I was a little girl and I am sick of it … The toughest sanctions must be enforced on those who take part in ‘celebratory’ gunfire with complete indifference to the lives of others,” wrote Facebook user Faten Al Houri.

The unauthorised use of guns or explosives is illegal in Jordan and can result in imprisonment for up to three months, a fine of JD1,000 (£1,151), or both. Speaking with The Jordan Times, lawyer Sakhr Khasawneh explained that if the act results in someone’s death, the perpetrator will be punished by hard labour for a period of no less than 10 years.

Celebratory gunfire is culturally accepted in parts of the Balkans, Russia, the Middle East, South Asia, Latin America, the United States and Ethiopia. A Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 80% of celebratory gunfire-related injuries in Puerto Rico. In April 2014, a 20-year-old pregnant mother of two, Wadia Baidawi, was struck in the head and killed by a stray bullet at her neighbour’s wedding in Lebanon. In January of this year, two people, a 40-year-old man and a 35-year-old man, died after celebratory gunfire at a party in Michigan.

Tahir Ibn Manzoor