A Louisiana boy is dead and police say it happened after he accidentally shot himself while playing a gun.
AP reports that the incident happened at a home off of Breckenridge Drive in Baker on Wednesday, at around 11:30. The child’s father, who purchased a gun for protection, was in another room cooking when two children in the home discovered a semiautomatic pistol.
One of the children died after the gun went off.
Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn interviewed the father and determined that the shooting appeared to be accidental. He warned the father about having guns around children.
“This appears to be a tragic accident,” Carl Dunn said, according to The Advocate. “Little boys and girls are curious, and tragic things like this can happen.”
So far there have been no arrests in the case. It’s unclear whether authorities intend to press charges against the father for improper gun storage.
The father’s cousin, Kedron Haynes, told The Advocate that the father recently bought recording equipment for a home garage studio. The father was concerned about protecting his assets, Haynes said, and had just recently purchased the gun when tragedy struck.
“With the snap of a finger, you turn your head one time and anything can happen,” Haynes said. “With this situation, it hurts.”
The identity of the child has not yet been released, but Haynes added that the boy was the middle child of three children. As with many young children, Haynes said, the toddler was curious and active.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Creative Commons]
