Mahvash Leghaei Iranian bride shot dead at own wedding by stray celebratory bullet in freak accident. Wedding guest arrested.
An Iranian bride died at her own wedding after being struck by a stray bullet during a round of celebratory gunfire moments after having gotten married.
Mahvash Leghaei, 24, had reportedly just tied the knot when a male guest decided to mark the occasion by firing off some ceremonial gunshots — a custom that’s illegal in Iran.
Unfortunately, the shooter’s festive firearm display, in which he allegedly used an unlicensed hunting rifle, backfired horribly: While the first shot went off without incident, a second round reportedly went through Leghaei’s skull and brain along with hitting two male guests, according to local media reports.
‘We had an emergency call of a shooting at a wedding hall in Firuzabad city and officers were dispatched immediately,’ a police spokesperson, Colonel Mehdi Jokar, told Newsflash of the freak accident, which occurred at the wedding south of Shiraz.
Jokar attributed the fatal incident to ‘crowds’ and a ‘poor control of the weapon.’
Shooting banned at weddings
The bride went into a coma and later succumbed to her wounds. The other two victims survived with minor injuries the UK’s Sun reported.
Following the incident, the unnamed shooter — who is reportedly a cousin of the groom — allegedly fled the scene with the weapon in tow, only to be arrested shortly after by cops.
‘Naturally, any disturbance of public order like this crosses the red line with the police, and people need to know that to create a safe community, shooting is banned at weddings,’ said Jokar. ‘We will take tough action against anybody found to be breaking this rule.’
It remained unclear what charges the relative would now face.
Before her death, Leghaei had been a social worker who helped drug users overcome their addictions. In line with her wishes, the victim’s family has since donated her organs to three recipients.
