A boy aged 10 was being questioned today over the death of an elderly man found with a head injury.
Officers were alerted at about 6.20pm yesterday by an ambulance crew who attended to the 79-year-old man in Back Hill Top Avenue in the Harehills area of Leeds.
The pensioner was taken to Leeds General Infirmary but was pronounced dead a short time later.
A spokesman for West Yorkshire police said a 10-year-old boy had been arrested in connection with the incident. It is understood that the victim lived in the street where he was injured. He is yet to be formally identified, police said.
Neighbours in Harehills, to the north-east of Leeds city centre, spoke of their shock today. Liaqat Ali, manager of the Abubakar supermarket in Roundhay Road, said the victim was a regular customer and that he had seen him yesterday.
He said: “The old gentleman used to come to the shop all the time, God rest his soul. I’ve been here for 10 years and he’d been living in the area at least that long. I think he had a son.
“I saw the old man walking around yesterday afternoon, but I didn’t speak to him. He was quite well known in the area.
“Everyone’s surprised that this has happened. I’m shocked they’ve arrested a little kid.
“The police were around here until quite late last night, but we didn’t see or hear anything. I only found out what had happened this morning.”
West Yorkshire police are appealing for information about the man’s death.
