Toddler kills 1-year-old sister with handgun, police say

A 3-year-old child accidentally shot and killed their 1-year-old sister using a handgun found in their San Diego home, police said.

Officials received a call Monday at 7:30 a.m. about a shooting in a Fallbrook home, where the toddler got a hold of an unsecured gun and fired it at the infant.

The 1-year-old suffered an injury to the head and was rushed to a local hospital for treatment, where she died.

“Despite lifesaving efforts, she was pronounced deceased at about 8:30 a.m.,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement. 

Officials said it was unclear if any adults were in the Stagecoach Lane residence at the time of the shooting, while the investigation was ongoing.

“The Sheriff’s Department extends our sympathies to the family and those affected by this death,” officials added. “There are no outstanding suspects.”

The Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determine the exact cause and manner of death of the infant.

Police are not naming the victim and the 3-year-old at this time.

Neighbor Rick Stephens said the incident has left the town reeling after they heard the gunshot ring out early Monday morning.

“I’m heartbroken, I’m devastated,” Stephens told Fox 5. “My grandchildren are that age.”

The incident is the latest unintentional shooting involving a minor in the US, with firearms remaining the leading cause of death for children under 18.

Last month, a two-year-old in Howell, Michigan, died after getting access to an unsecured gun and shooting themselves.

Unintentional shootings like the ones in San Diego and Howell make up about 5 % of annual gun deaths among minors, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit gun reform advocacy group that also tracks shootings involving children.

The group estimates that there are 4.6 million children in America who live in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded firearm.

Nearly one child gains access to a loaded firearm and unintentionally shoots themself or someone else every day in America — an average of 350 children a year, according to the nonprofit.