3 year old Greenville toddler accidentally shoots and kills self while visiting aunt in North Carolina. No charges are to be filed as incident is described ‘tragic accident,’ as it is believed weapon was safely stored out of reach of children.
A 3 year old toddler boy is dead after finding a gun and shooting himself while visiting his aunt, according to authorities in North Carolina.
On Friday night around 10 p.m., Greenville police and fire rescue were called to the 200 block of Beech Street.
A 3-year-old boy had ‘accidentally shot‘ himself and was rushed to ECU Health Medical Center. Despite emergency responders’ life-saving efforts, the boy was pronounced dead.
No charges to be filed
A preliminary investigation indicated the child having gotten a hold of a gun inside a residence and suffered a self-inflicted wound. GPD is withholding the name of the child at this time to allow family to make proper notifications, WRAL reported.
Under NC law (14-315.1.), guns are supposed to be kept out of the reach of children. The case was not a violation of that law as the adults in the home are believed to have taken precautions to keep the weapon out of reach.
Greenville police stated that while the incident is still under investigation, it does not appear the firearms were improperly stored in a way that would fail to protect the child.
‘The adults in the home are believed to have taken precautions to keep the weapon out of reach,’ Greenville Police Department wrote on social media.
After consulting with the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office, the gun violence incident has been ruled a tragic accident. No charges are expected to be filed.
To date it continued to remain unknown how the 3 year old managed to access the weapon, especially as it was deemed to be safely stored out of reach of children.
The case is the second child death in a month, where on January 14 in Pink Hill, a 3-year-old boy was killed after he shot himself with an unsecured and loaded handgun. Deputies charged Clarence Byrd III, 29, with involuntary manslaughter and negligent child abuse.
