SOUL-CRUSHING

3-Year-Old Texas Boy Dead After Finding Loaded Gun in Home: Police

Police said several other children and at least two adults were also at the home when the boy apparently shot himself by accident.

A 3-year-old boy in Texas was pronounced dead late Friday after police say he gained access to a loaded gun in his home and accidentally shot himself. “We were hoping the child would be able to recover from the injuries sustained, but that was not to be… Tragic outcome,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez was quoted saying by the Houston Chronicle. Harris had earlier announced via tweet that the child was being airlifted to a hospital and was in critical condition. Police initially declined to rule out an intentional shooting, describing a “chaotic situation” at the home, with four or five children present, along with at least two adults, at the time of the shooting. But Gonzalez later announced that “at this point in the investigation, it appears that the child gained access to a pistol that was left loaded inside the home.” An autopsy is still pending, and it was not immediately clear if anyone would face charges in connection with the boy’s death.