Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the girls around 8 p.m. local time (Monday at 3 a.m. Lithuanian time) was in the bedroom of the apartment in Houston where he lived with his parents.
The five adults, all of whom were family members or friends, were spending time in other rooms and the girls were accidentally left unattended, Gonzalez said.
“A three-year-old child gained access to a loaded semi-automatic pistol. Family members heard one shot. They ran into the room and found an unresponsive four-year-old girl,” said E. Gonzalez.
The girl was pronounced dead at the scene after police responded to the family’s 911 call, Gonzalez told reporters outside the home.
“This appears to be another tragic story of a child gaining access to a firearm and injuring or, as in this case, killing another person,” Gonzalez said.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether any of the adults will be charged based on the police investigation, which is still in its early stages, Gonzalez said.
“Our hearts are broken. Our officers are shocked,” Gonzalez said, noting that emergency personnel will be at the scene to assist officers and family members.
“The community suffers when a child dies like this,” Gonzalez said, adding that this shooting was another preventable gun death.
“We continue to send the message that this can be avoided,” Gonzalez said. – You need to be sure that you are a responsible gun owner and keep your guns in a safe place. It’s not enough to just tell young children not to touch guns. You know, we have to do a little bit more. We see too many tragic situations like this.”
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