A three-year-old girl shot her two-year-old brother dead after finding a gun hidden under a mattress. Skip related content
The accidental shooting took place on Wednesday afternoon in Bakersfield, California. The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital but died of a wound to his chest.
Under state law, the parents of the dead infant could be prosecuted for not ensuring that the firearm was stored where it could not be accessed by their children.
An investigation concluded that the girl had taken the gun - a .45 calibre semiautomatic handgun - from her parents´ bedroom, where it had been stuffed underneath the mattress.
The children´s mother was at home at the time of the incident but was in another part of the house, while her husband was at work.
Sgt Greg Terry of Bakersfield Police said: "It appears to be a horrible accident - I cannot imagine what the family is going through."
Under Californian law, all gun owners must ensure that their weapons are stored in a way so that children cannot access them. A police investigation is under way
The presence of guns just breeds violence even in this ´innocent´ tragic event