Authorities in South Carolina say a toddler is dead after retrieving a firearm from his grandmother’s pocketbook and firing it at his own head.
According to ABC News, 2-year-old Kayden Stuber was at a home in Greenville County where his grandmother and aunt were babysitting while his parents worked.
A spokesperson from the county coroner’s office revealed that the boy appears to have gotten access to “the grandmother’s purse that was sitting on the bed and in some way retrieved, was handling the gun when it discharged.”
No other injuries were reported in connection with the incident, authorities say.
According to officials with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene a short time later and rushed Kayden to an area hospital, but he was pronounced dead prior to arriving.
As of the latest reports available, Lt. Ryan Flood indicated that no criminal charges have been recommended. He did note, however, that the investigation remained ongoing at the time of his statement on Friday.
“Kayden was my life,” said grandmother Bekki Gunter, as reported by the Greenville News. “He was my baby.”
Both she and her husband, Tim, say they took care to ensure the legally owned firearm was stored properly.
“Nobody understands the situation,” the boy’s grandfather said. “We’re probably one of the safest families around as far as weapons.”
Though the gun was “in her purse, zipped and sealed,” Tim Gunter said he regrets purchasing his wife “a teal gun that looks like a toy.”
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[Featured image: Kayden Stuber, GoFundMe]
