A one-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed Monday by her three-year-old sibling, who had gained access to an unsecured handgun, ABC News has quoted authorities as saying.
Deputies responded to the shooting at a home in Fallbrook, California. The one-year-old suffered a head injury in the shooting and was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead at about 8:30 a.m. Monday local time, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
The investigation is ongoing. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office has been notified and will be updated with the investigators’ findings, the sheriff’s department said.
The local medical examiner’s office will also conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. The sheriff’s department will release more information following the autopsy.
As of July 15, so far this year there have been at least 221 unintentional shootings by children in the United States, resulting in 78 deaths and 151 injuries, according to gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.
