A one-year-old girl was accidentally shot dead by her three-year-old sibling in the United States when they got hold of an unsecured handgun in their house, Fox News reported. The incident took place in Fallbrook in San Diego County.
The incident came to light when police received a call regarding an accidental shooting in Fallbrook, a small community in San Diego County.
The one-year-old girl was shot in the head. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, but later died due to her injuries.
Police said the 3-year-old got hold of an unsecured gun and they were investigating the circumstances of the death. Police said an autopsy would be conducted to determine the case and manner of the one-year-old's death, Fox News reported.
"The sheriff's department extends our sympathies to the family and those affected by this death. Sheriff's homicide investigators are working to gather more information to determine the circumstances of the death," Lt Joseph Jarjura of the San Diego County Sheriff's department said in a statement.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2021 than in any other year on record. That included record numbers of both gun murders and gun suicides.
Last week, at least four people were killed in a mass shooting in Hampton, a small city just south of Atlanta. The suspect, Andre Longmore, was shot dead when police attempted to arrest him.
A sheriff's deputy and two police officers were wounded while trying to take the suspect into custody.
A report in AP said this was the deadliest six months of mass killings recorded in the US since at least 2006. From January 1 to June 30, the nation witnessed 28 mass killings.
A mass killing is defined as an occurrence when four or more people are slain, not including the assailant, within a 24-hour period.