Tragedy unfolded in a Houston household when a three-year-old got access to an unsecured firearm and fatally shot her four-year-old sister.
Harris County sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the girl got access to the firearm that was kept at their home and “unintentionally” shot and killed her sibling late on Sunday.
“This basically involves a three-year-old and a four-year-old,” Mr Gonzalez said. “The three-year-old is the alleged shooter. It appears to be unintentional.”
He told the media that the tragic incident could have been prevented.
On Sunday, a group of family and friends – five adults and the two girls – were inside a Houston apartment. At one point, the children were unsupervised in a bedroom because each parent thought the other was watching them, the sheriff said.
The three-year-old got hold of a loaded semiautomatic pistol.
Then the family heard a gunshot and immediately ran inside the room where they found the four-year-old on the floor.
“It just seems like another tragic story of another child gaining access to a firearm and hurting someone else,” Mr Gonzalez said.
The parents called 911 as they found the child was unresponsive.
“The toddler was pronounced deceased at the scene,” he said.
“You’ve got to make sure you’re a responsible gun owner. Secure your weapons in a safe place. It’s got to be more than just to tell the kids not to touch the weapons,” he added.
Local media reported that the district attorney will now decide whether to press any charges against any of the adults.
Mr Gonzalez said an investigation has been launched and that in situations like this, it is “very likely” that an adult will face charges for failing to secure the firearm at home.
CNN quoted data compiled by Everytown Research and Policy and reported that there were at least 2,070 unintentional shootings by children under 18 years old between 2015 and 2020, which resulted in 765 deaths and 1,366 injuries.
