California Toddler Fatally Shoots Self With Pistol In Tragic Accident

A two-year-old died in a tragic accident in Fresno, California, after he fatally shot himself. The toddler's parents were not at home Saturday when he got his hands on a pistol.

Police told Fresno ABC station KFSN the child was in a bedroom and was being watched by family friends.

"At the time that this occurred, there were two adults inside the home with the child. Neither of them are the child's parents," Fresno Police Department Lt. Rob Beck told KFSN, adding it was unclear who owned the gun. The weapon either belonged to the child's parents or the adults watching the child at the time.

It also remains unclear how the boy was able to obtain the firearm, or whether criminal charges will be filed in the case.

"You're required to, if you have firearms in the home, they need to be locked and out of reach of children," Beck told KFSN.

According to reports, the toddler was still breathing when officers arrived at the scene. The baby was transported to a nearby hospital where he died.

"It's just very tragic to have that happen," said a neighbor, Bob Wittwer. "We were in the backyard, and we heard all the police cars show up and came out to see what happened, and then we saw them take the child away in the ambulance."

Pediatrics journal in 2017 released a study which found that approximately 1,300 children die every year in the U.S. from a gun-related injury.

In May, a Virginia toddler died after his four-year-old brother accidentally shot him with a gun the boy thought was a toy. “It’s of paramount importance to make sure your guns are secured and out of the reach of children and everything,” Major Donald A. Lowe said at the time of the incident. “At least have them unloaded or a safety lock on them, whatever you have to do to keep them from being discharged accidentally.”

In an incident in June 2017, a 2-year-old accidentally shot dead his 7-year-old cousin after getting access to a gun in Nashville, Tennessee.