A 3-year-old accidentally shot and killed their 1-year-old sibling Monday in Fallbrook, California, after getting a hold of an unsecured handgun, San Diego County Sheriff's deputies said.
Deputies responded to a call of a shooting at 7:30 a.m. and learned a 3-year-old had gotten ahold of an unsecured firearm and shot the 1-year-old sister. The young girl was taken to Palomar Hospital for a head injury but was pronounced dead an hour later, SDSO Lt. Joseph Jarjura said.
It's not immediately clear if any parents were in the home at the time of the shooting. The children's names are not being released because of their ages and out of respect for the family, deputies said.
Sheriff's Homicide investigators are working to gather more details on what led up to the shooting. There are "no outstanding suspects" and there are no threats to the community, deputies said.
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The medical examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death of the child.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330.
No other information was available.
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As of July 12, there have been at least 217 unintentional shootings by children, which have resulted in 76 deaths and 149 injuries so far in 2023, according to a count by the gun control nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety,
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