4-Year-Old Boy Accidentally Shoots Elder Brother While Playing With Loaded Gun At Illinois Home

An eight-year-old boy was hospitalized after he was accidentally shot by his younger brother.

Police officers arrived at a home in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Sunday night after receiving information about a shooting incident. The officers found the boy with a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital for treatment. He was in a stable condition and was recovering.

Preliminary investigation revealed the boy and his 4-year-old brother were playing with a loaded handgun inside the home when the weapon accidentally discharged, striking the elder sibling.

An adult, whose identity was not revealed and was present at the residence when the incident took place, told the investigators he heard gunshots from the bathroom and found one child with a gunshot wound. The two were allegedly filming a video in the bathroom when the weapon discharged, Belleville News-Democrat reported.

The weapon allegedly belonged to a family member. However, it remained unclear how the siblings got hold of it.

An investigation into the incident was ongoing and it was unclear if the parents will face charges in connection with the shooting.

Police have urged people to keep weapons at a secure place that is out of children's reach and ensure they have a safety lock.

The incident comes weeks after a 5-year-old girl was accidentally shot by her father at their home in Edmonds, Washington. The 36-year-old man was trying to secure the handgun in a safe after removing the weapon from its holster when it accidentally discharged, hitting the victim in the arm. She was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment and was recovering. The girl’s mother and two other children were at the residence when the shooting took place.

In another incident last month, a 7-year-old boy was accidentally shot by his younger brother at their home in Selah, Washington. Police arrived at the residence and found the boy with a gunshot wound to the neck. He was taken to a nearby hospital and was later airlifted to another hospital for treatment. Investigation revealed the victim’s younger sibling accidentally shot him after retrieving a firearm from a gun safe. The boy's family said he was expected to make a full recovery at the time.