Minnesota boy, 5, fatally shoots 3-year-old girl: cops
A toddler was killed early Friday when she was shot by a 5-year-old boy in Minnesota, according to officials.
The accidental shooting of the 3-year-old girl occurred at a home in Bena, about 120 miles northwest of Duluth, Cass County Sherrif Tom Burch said in a statement via Facebook.
The shooting was reported to the Cass County Sherrif’s Office just after 3:50 a.m. local time Friday, said authorities.
Paramedics intercepted family members’ transport of the little girl to a hospital in Deer River, nearly 200 miles north of Minneapolis, according to the statement.
Although they attempted lifesaving efforts, the little girl — whose identity was not released — was pronounced dead at the hospital.
An autopsy is pending and an investigation is underway, though officials made no mention of the possibility of criminal charges.
The statement did not detail the relationship between the boy and the girl. Authorities did not say how the boy got access to the gun.
This year alone, there have been at least 239 unintentional shootings by children nationwide, according to research presented by Everytown, a nonprofit advocating gun control. Those shootings have resulted in 94 deaths and 157 injuries, according to organization.
