Boy shoots 3-year-old sister when search for candy leads to gun, Mississippi cops say
A 3-year-old is in critical condition after she was accidentally shot by her older brother, deputies in Mississippi say.
It happened around 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 8, at a home in Marion County, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies arrived to find a young girl who had been shot in the head.
Investigators said the girl’s 6-year-old brother was in their grandmother’s room looking for candy when he found a loaded gun. It went off while he was playing with it, hitting his sister.
The children were at home with their grandma while their mother was at work, deputies said.
“Tragic examples like this remind us the importance to secure firearms in the home and out of reach of children,” Marion County Sheriff Berkley Hall said in a statement.
The girl was flown to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson and placed in the ICU, deputies said. Her condition wasn’t known as of June 9.
Authorities didn’t release additional information, and it’s unclear if the grandmother could face charges.
Marion County is about 90 miles southeast of Jackson.
This story was originally published June 9, 2023 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Boy shoots 3-year-old sister when search for candy leads to gun, Mississippi cops say."