LEAD: 16-yr-old boy in grave condition after being hit by arrow between eyes

Nov 4 12:20 PM US/Eastern

(AP) - TOKYO, Nov. 5 (Kyodo)—

A 16-year-old boy practicing archery at a public hall in Tokyo's Meguro Ward was struck between the eyebrows Wednesday by an arrow shot by a 17-year-old boy from the same high school archery club, and is in serious condition, police said.

The accident occurred around 4:45 p.m. when the two students at the private high school were practicing archery alone. The student who shot the 70-centimeter carbon arrow made an emergency call for an ambulance, the Metropolitan Police Department's Meguro police station said.

The police were questioning the 17-year-old boy on suspicion of negligence resulting in injury. The 16-year-old boy was not conscious, they said.

The 17-year-old boy was quoted as saying that he accidentally shot the arrow when he aimed it at the 16-year-old boy. The police said the victim pulled out the arrow by himself.

The high school in Minato Ward said the teacher supervising the archery club was not at the Meguro hall at the time because it was voluntary practice session by the two students.

According to an official of the Meguro Ward Office in charge of the hall's management, the two teenagers have regularly used the archery site on the rooftop of the six-story building, and they started practicing at around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.