A 4-year-old girl was killed March 12 in Texas after her 3-year-old sister found a loaded gun in their parent’s apartment and accidentally fired it, according to authorities.
Calling the incident “tragic” and “very preventable,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told reporters Sunday in a press conference outside the scene that as a group of five adults were gathered together in one part of a Houston apartment, the two siblings were left unsupervised in a bedroom.
“The 3-year-old gained access to a loaded, semi-automatic pistol. Family members heard a single gunshot. They ran into the room and found the small toddler, 4-years-old, unresponsive,” Gonzalez stated.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, briefing media on the accidental shooting death of a four year old girl. A three year old girl found an unsecured firearm, and shot the four year old. Crimes against Children investigators are on scene.#Hou News pic.twitter.com/zXE6gtxK23
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) March 13, 2023
When authorities arrived on the scene, the 4-year-old girl was pronounced dead. (RELATED: Florida Boy Dies After Shooting Himself With Gun Found In Nightstand)
“It just seems like another tragic story of, again, a child gaining access to a firearm and hurting someone else and this time there was a fatal shot,” Gonzalez stated.
The tragic incident left responding officers “pretty shaken up,” according to Gonzalez, who added that support personnel would be sent to the crime scene to assist with family members, as well as investigators.
“Our hearts are broken,” Gonzalez stated. “Everyone’s impacted. The community is impacted when a child loses their life in this way.”
“We continue to send the message that this is very preventable,” Gonzalez declared. “You’ve got to be sure you’re being a responsible gun owner, securing your weapons in a safe place. It’s got to be more than just telling young kids not to touch the weapons. You know, we’ve got to do a little more. We see far too many tragic situations like this unfold.”
Though the shooting does appear to be accidental, Gonzalez revealed that as soon as all of the facts regarding the shooting are gathered, they will be presented to the district attorney’s office, which will determine whether charges will be brought against any of the adults allegedly present at the time.