A toddler in Texas is in a critical condition after finding a handgun in a home and shooting itself in the head, according to police reports.
Officers in Nacogdoches in east Texas responded to reports of an accidental shooting at a home at 11:37 a.m. local time (12:37 p.m. ET) on Saturday, July 22.
When officers arrived, they found a toddler had taken a handgun in the residence and shot itself with it. The exact details of what occurred have not yet been released.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading cause of death among children in the United States aged between 1 and 4 was unintentional injuries. It said the number of children in the age group who died as a result of unintentional injuries was 1,299 in 2021.
An NPD Saturday, July 22, Facebook post read: "First responders arrived and found that a 2-year-old child had found a handgun inside the residence and shot themselves in the head.
"The child was taken to a local hospital and later flown to a Houston-area hospital for a higher level of care. The child is believed to be in a critical condition."
Police did not share any information about the child's gender or whether anyone had been arrested in connection with the shooting.
Nacogdoches investigators have since launched an inquiry into the shooting and the circumstances that led up to it.
Police said there was no further information about what happened to share with the public.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information on shootings from across the U.S., the incident was the only case in Texas this month where a child aged between 0 and 11 had been injured by a self-inflicted firearm discharge.
The database reports that since January 1, 2023, there have been seven instances where children aged between 0 and 11 have been injured or killed as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
While Texas does not have any specific laws on gun storage, a person may be liable for criminal negligence if a child aged 17 or under gains access to a readily dischargeable firearm.
Gun safety organization Keep 'Em Safe Texas lists three methods it says firearm owners can prevent children from accessing them at home.
The advice includes storing unloaded weapons in either a place that has a biometric lock, a gun case, strongbox, gun cabinet, or gun safe.
It also recommends keeping ammunition in secure, locked locations.
The website also advises restricting access to any stored firearms, which includes family, friends, children, and other visitors to the home.
Newsweek has contacted the NPD for comment via email.
