A 3-year-old girl unintentionally shot and killed her 4-year-old sister after getting hold of a loaded gun contained in the family’s Texas home Sunday, police said.
The 2 girls were in a bedroom inside an apartment at 9955 Bammel North Houston Road in Houston at around 8 p.m. when a gunshot rang out, based on Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Five adults, including the sisters’ mother and stepfather, were in other parts of the residence on the time, reported the station KTRK.
Gonzalez said the children were left unsupervised within the bedroom since the grownups believed no less than certainly one of them was watching the ladies.
“The three-year-old gained access to a loaded, semi-automatic pistol. Members of the family heard a single gunshot. They bumped into the room and located the small toddler, 4 years old, unresponsive,” Gonzalez said.
The toddler was pronounced dead on the scene after cops responded to the apartment.
Her name has not been released as of Monday.
“It just looks as if one other tragic story of, again, a baby getting access to a firearm and hurting another person and this time there was a fatal shot,” the sheriff told reporters outside the apartment constructing.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office will determine whether any of the adults will face charges based on the final result of the police investigation.
It was not immediately known who owns the gun utilized in the shooting and whether the weapon was legally registered.
“Our hearts are broken. Our deputies are pretty shaken up,” Gonzalez said. “The community is impacted when a baby loses their life in this manner.”
The sheriff stressed that the little girl’s death was “very preventable.”
“You’ve got to make sure you’re being a responsible gun owner, securing your weapons in a protected place,” Gonzalez said. “It’s got to be greater than just telling young kids not to the touch the weapons. You realize, we’ve got to do a bit more. We see far too many tragic situations like this unfold.”
