Police in San Diego say a 3-year-old shot and killed their 1-year-old sibling using a firearm they discovered in the house. At 7:30 a.m. on a Monday, authorities were alerted to a gunshot in a Fallbrook residence; a toddler had found an unlocked gun and shot at a baby.
The 1-year-old girl was taken to a nearby hospital after sustaining a head injury, but she later passed away while being treated there. The sheriff’s office said in a statement that “lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful” and that she was pronounced dead at 8:30 a.m.
Investigators have claimed they don’t know if any adults were home on Stagecoach Lane when the incident occurred. “The Sheriff’s Department extends our sympathies to the family and those affected by this death,” officials added. “There are no outstanding suspects.”
The following tweet provides confirmation of the report that a youngster who was three years old at the time accidently shot and killed their younger sibling who was one year old:
A 3-year-old child accidentally shot and killed their 1-year-old sister on Monday with a handgun found in their San Diego home, police said. https://t.co/27o3JrE4JN
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) July 18, 2023
The infant is currently being autopsied by the Medical Examiner’s Office to discover the precise cause and manner of death. At this moment, police are withholding the identities of the victim and the child. After hearing the gunshot early on Monday morning, Rick Stephens, a neighbor, claimed the village was in shock.
“I’m heartbroken, I’m devastated,” Stephens told Fox 5. “My grandchildren are that age.” This is the most recent case of an accidental shooting involving a kid in the United States, where firearms continue to be the biggest cause of mortality for those under the age of eighteen.
You might be interested in the following list of other links to articles that have been published by the California Examiner:
- Deadly Encounter: Brooklyn Teen Fatally Shot in Fight He Never Wanted
- Kidnapped 18-year-old Escapes From Home After Being Shackled to Bed and Raped for Weeks: Police
A two-year-old in Howell, Michigan, shot and killed themselves last month after discovering an unlocked gun. Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit gun reform advocacy group, keeps track of shootings involving children and reports that unintentional shootings like the ones in San Diego and Howell account for around 5% of annual gun deaths among minors.
An estimated 4.6 million American children are growing up in households with at least one unlocked and loaded firearm, according to the organization. The group estimates that annually, 350 children in the United States acquire access to a firearm and either accidentally kill themselves or someone else.
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