A bride in Iran was shot dead at her own wedding after she was hit by a stray bullet from a gun fired by a guest during the celebration. Mahvash Leghaei, 24, who got married in Firuzabad, Iran, was celebrating at her wedding party when she was fatally shot in the head with a high-powered hunting rifle.
The guest who accidentally shot her in the head is believed to be a cousin of the groom and was using an unlicensed high-powered hunting gun. Leghaei died sometime later at a hospital after the bullet pierced her skull, while two other guests were also seriously wounded.
Tragic End to Life
According to reports, the guest was firing the bullets to celebrate. He reportedly fired two shots and the second bullet pierced Leghaei's skull before injuring two other male guests. The bride eventually fell into a coma and passed away at a hospital.
Although the guest hasn't been officially named, he reportedly is 36 years old and is the groom's cousin, a local newspaper reported.
"We had an emergency call of a shooting at a wedding hall in Firuzabad city and officers were dispatched immediately," police spokesperson Colonel Mehdi Jokar said, according to the Daily Mail.
"The officers discovered that somebody had fired shots with a hunting rifle as part of the local nomad tradition, but unfortunately because of the crowds and the person's poor control of the weapon, he managed to shoot three people, two men and the bride," he added.
"The shooter then fled the area but police located the man still carrying the unlicensed hunting rifle that had been fired at the wedding."
Reckless Way to Celebrate
Although it's illegal, firing a pistol to celebrate a marriage is a common tradition in Iran and certain other regions of the Middle East. A similar incident was also reported in India in May.
"Naturally any disturbance of public order like this crosses the red line with the police need to act, and people need to know that to create a safe community shooting is banned at weddings," the police spokesperson added.
"We will take tough action against anybody found to be breaking this rule."
Leghaei was a psychology graduate and her family said that her organs were donated, which saved the lives of three people. According to the victim's uncle, she had been working as a social worker, assisting drug users in beating their addictions, and had only made the decision to obtain an organ donor card three months prior.
When they learned of her passing, they made the decision to honor her wishes and set up the organ donation.
