Parents' tribute to 'loving, kind' boy, eight, shot dead on Cumbria farm
Jay Cartmell suffered fatal injuries in the shooting on land near the A66, north of Warcop in Cumbria, on September 28. A man in his 60s was arrested at the scene
by Kathryn Riddell, By Ellie Ng, PA · ChronicleLiveThe parents of an eight-year-old boy tragically killed in a farm shooting have paid a heartfelt tribute to their son, describing him as "loving, kind and full of mischief".
Jay Cartmell sustained fatal injuries to his head and face on land near the A66, north of Warcop in Cumbria, on September 28.
Following the incident, a man in his 60s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and subsequently released on bail. In a statement released through Cumbria Police, Leigha and James Cartmell expressed their profound sorrow: "We are heartbroken at the passing of our perfect little boy – Jay Cartmell, eight years.
"He was loving, kind and full of mischief, the best boy that anyone could wish for and the third corner of our beautiful family ‘triangle’.
"Jay loved being outdoors, the muddier he could get the better and was starting to follow in the footsteps of his dad with his obsession for speedway at Workington, where he first attended aged one years.
"He always went to the pit to fist-bump his heroes, local racers Harry and Sam McGurk.
"Jay was a talented rider himself and was showing real promise for the sport."
His passion extended to football, playing as a defender for Whitehaven Miners Football Club, where despite the occasional own goal, his enthusiasm never waned, his parents said.
They also shared that his favourite player was Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and he harboured dreams of moving to Brazil to meet Lionel Messi.
The grieving family shared touching memories of Jay, who found joy in fishing and rabbiting with his father and caring for their family pets. They were the proud owners of four lurchers, five ferrets, and Jay's bearded dragon named Spike.
His parents expressed their profound loss, stating: "Jay was extremely loved, not only by us, but by all who met him.
“He had fantastic friends and always had a smile on his face. We will miss him every day, but his love surrounds us and his memory will never fade."
On September 28 at around 2.50pm, emergency services rushed to the scene, where they secured a firearm. Jay, hailing from Frizington, Cumbria, was airlifted to the hospital but tragically passed away overnight.
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