A one-year-old boy in Payson, Arizona is dead after being shot and killed by his 3-year-old brother, who found a handgun in a neighbor’s apartment, police say.
The boys and their mother were visiting the 78-year-old neighbor in their apartment complex when the shooting occurred in a bedroom.
The brothers found the semi-automatic pistol somewhere in the living area where it was not in plain sight, the police chief said without elaborating. Neither adult knew the boys had the weapon, Engler said.
The boys were playing when they found the gun, police said. The weapon discharged, and the toddler was shot in the head.
No charges have been made against any adults as of yet. Police Chief Don Engler said his department’s investigation of the Tuesday shooting will take about a week.
“What we’re taking a look at is the circumstances regarding the securing of the weapon” and how the boys were able to get ahold of it, Engler told The Associated Press. “We are continuing our investigation, and we haven’t ruled out criminal charges at this point.”
Engler said he didn’t know whether the 3-year-old grasped what he had done. “That’d be a difficult stretch for me to make that assumption,” the police chief said.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving during this difficult time.
SOURCE: Huffington Post | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
