'We'll miss him every day': Parents of boy, 8, who died following gunshot incident at a Warcop farm
The parents of an eight-year-old boy who tragically died following a gunshot incident near Warcop, have paid tribute to their son.
Eight-year-old Jay Cartmell suffered life-threatening head and facial injuries following the incident on a section of land next to the A66 in Warcop, Cumbria, on the 28th September.
However, despite the best efforts of medics, he died in hospital later that night.
Police confirmed a firearm had been recovered from the scene and a man in his 60s had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. He has since been released on bail.
Leigha and James Cartmell described their son Jay as “loving, kind and full of mischief”.
In a statement today Jay's parents said: "We are heartbroken at the passing of our perfect little boy.
"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’."
They said their son "loved being outdoors" and aimed to "follow in the footsteps of his dad" with his love for Workington speedway.
They added: "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."
Jay's parents said he was also a football fan and played as a defender at Whitehaven Miners Football Club.
They added: "He would occasionally score a goal, albeit an own goal, but that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm.
"His favourite player was Erling Haaland and he had a dream to move to Brazil and to meet Lionel Messi."
Posting on social media, Whitehaven Miners Football Club said: "RIP wee man #oneofour #lanternforlife our thoughts are with your family, coaches and team mates."
A statement from Whitehaven AFC read: "Our heartfelt condolences to this little lad’s family, our neighbours, Whitehaven Miners Social Football Club, his friends, teammates and all that knew him.
"Truly devastating news, any support we can offer please let us know."
Jay's parents said: "Jay enjoyed fishing and rabbiting with his Dad and helped care for the family pets:- 4 lurchers, 5 ferrets and his own bearded dragon (Spike) which he received following a school achievement. He loved school and had a talent for maths.
"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.
"We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all who have looked after Jay:- The Air Ambulance Service; PICU, Ward 12 RVI and the Snowdrop Suite at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
"Also special thanks to the Workington Speedway Supporters Club for their amazing donations; JD Autos and Fellview Surgery for their ongoing support; the Workington Comets, especially Andrew Bain, for a special gift which we will treasure forever and to Whitehaven Miners for all that they have done and continue to do in Jay’s honour."
An online fundraiser has been now been set up by Workington Comets Speedway for Jay's family.
The JustGiving page has currently (Sunday 6 October) raised more than £5000.
In a statement on the page, a spokesperson for Workington Comets Speedway said: "Jay was a football and speedway fan who loved to spend his time playing football for Whitehaven Miners Social Football Club and had recently followed his Dad into Speedway.
"All donations will go directly to his loving family to help them in their hour of need to help with the costs of the loss of their son Jay.
"He will be a big loss to the world and his memory will live on through any loving messages the family will receive at this sad time."
As Cumbria Police continue with their enquiries into the incident, they are encouraging anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or the moments leading up to it, to come forward.
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