A three-year-old girl accidentally shot her 4-year-old sister after finding a loaded gun in the US state of Texas on Sunday. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez speaking to news agency CBS said the girls were in the bedroom of the apartment located in the Bammel North Houston area in the city of Houston.
The children lived with their parents and the incident occurred around 8pm. The four-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
The police officers also told CBS that five adults, consisting of family members and family friends, were in other parts of the apartment and the girls were left unattended in the house unintentionally.
The police official said that one parent thought the other parent was watching over the girls and they were left alone in the bedroom. The three-year-old found the loaded pistol and fired one shot, killing her sibling.
“The 3-year-old gained access to a loaded, semi-automatic pistol. Family members heard a single gunshot. They ran into the room and found the small toddler, 4-years-old, unresponsive,” the police officials were quoted as saying by CBS.
The police official told the news agency that it was another tragic event where a child gained access to a firearm and hurt someone else and the shot was fatal.
He further added that the investigation is in a preliminary phase and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether any of the adults will face charges following the investigation.
He said that the police officers were shocked after the incident and support personnel will be at the scene to assist officers as well as family members. He pointed out that a community is impacted when a child loses their life under such circumstances. He said the death was avoidable.
“We continue to send the message that this is very preventable,” he told CBS. He said people should ensure they are being responsible gun owners and keep their weapons in a safe place, outlining that merely telling children not to touch weapons is not enough.
The US-based group Everytown for Gun Safety said the country recorded 58 cases of unintentional shootings by children which have resulted in 22 deaths and 37 injuries. There were at least 353 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 156 deaths and 212 injuries in 2022.
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