Five-year-old boy shoots dead his eight-year-old brother in ‘tragic accident’ at US home | US News
A five-year-old boy shot and killed his eight-year-old brother in a “tragic accident” at a home in the US.
After the 911 call Thursday afternoon, the sheriff went to a home in Jefferson County, Arkansas, to find an “unresponsive” child inside.
The county coroner was called and the child was pronounced dead.
The other four siblings and the mother were believed to be in the home when the fatal shot was fired.
Investigators believe it was an accident.
Sheriff Lafayette Woods said: “This is a tragic incident that could have been avoided.
“I can’t stress enough that guns need to be well secured and kept out of the hands and away from children at all times.
“Gun owners who don’t properly protect their guns are a split second before one of these tragedies happens in their home.”
According to statistics from Campaign Brady, a nonprofit group that advocates for gun control, every day in the US, 321 people are shot, of which 111 are killed.
Among them, 22 children and teenagers were shot.
In the May, 19 children and two staff members killed by high school student Salvador Ramos during a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Victims of Uvalde
Read more:
Map showing the extent of gun violence in the US
More than 700 people have been shot dead in the US since the Texas school shooting
The Arkansas Department of Human Services was notified of the shooting, with case officers arriving to assess the welfare of the children living in the home, as well as other conditions.
Family members can be seen gathering outside the house as deputies continue their investigation at the scene.
An autopsy will be performed.
