A Georgia boy is dead after police say his 5-year-old brother found a gun stashed in the woods and shot him in the chest.
According to the Griffin Police Department, the incident happened on May 9, after authorities pulled a car over during a routine traffic stop. The suspects fled from the vehicle and ran into woods near Hammock Street. Investigators found a dropped bag of drugs during their initial search but did not find the gun.
Police believe that the suspects dropped the weapon while fleeing, which in turn was found by a little boy playing in the woods.
Posted by City of Griffin Police Department on Sunday, May 10, 2020
The boy’s brother, a 12-year-old, was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Police said the 5-year-old thought he had found a toy gun.
“The five-year-old (indicated) that he had found the gun in the wooded area near the location of the shooting (in proximity to where officers had earlier retrieved the suspected bag of drugs) and thinking it was a toy, accidentally discharged it striking his brother in the chest,” a Griffin Police Department statement read. “Evidence and witness accounts are consistent with this account by the five-year-old.”
Authorities located the driver of the vehicle, but are still seeking information on the other suspects.
Posted by City of Griffin Police Department on Sunday, May 10, 2020
The Griffin Police Department added that the shooting appears to have been a “tragic accident.”
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
