2-Year-Old Shoots Himself Dead At Home With Unattended Gun

A 2-year-old boy managed to shoot himself in the face after grabbing a gun from a counter in a Louisiana home Monday morning, authorities said.

According to the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to 18,000 block of Murphy Estate Lane after they received reports of a gunshot at 10 a.m. local time (11 a.m. EDT) on Monday.

Sheriff Jason Ard of Louisiana's Livingston Parish told reporters the authorities believe the child climbed on a stool to reach the gun, which was kept above his reach.

“During our preliminary investigation, we learned that a handgun was on a counter in the home,” Ard said, ABC-affiliated WGNO reported. “It’s believed the child, using a stool, was able to grab the gun — which then fired a single shot.”

Though paramedics were called to the scene, they were unable to save the child, a report said.

“The child was later pronounced dead at a local hospital,” Ard said.

"I have a five-year-old boy at home, and I can't imagine the pain they're going through and the suffering they're going through," neighbor Brittany Wells said.

"That made my heart drop, it made me want to go home and play with my little boy right now," Ricky Logson, another neighbor, said. "He's two and a half and I'm going to go hug him, fry some fish and play with him," ABC-affiliated WBRZ reported.

Authorities did not answer questions regarding the background of the incident like who left the gun on the counter or the adults who were present at the home during the incident. The child’s identity was also not released.

According to reports, no charges were filed yet, and there were no statements from the parents or anyone related to the child. Detectives are conducting further investigation into the incident.

The recent incident was one of the many fatal shootings that involved children and unattended guns this year in Louisiana, US News reported.

Since January, there were at least 141 unintentional shootings by children aged 17 and younger in the United States, according to a list collected by nonprofit organization Everytown For Gun Safety. Data from the same said around nine children were from the state of Louisiana alone. Three of the nine died due to the incident.

Four-year-old Ky'Marley Harrington was one of the victims in a similar unrelated incident, the Advocate reported. He shot himself in the head with a loaded handgun that his father accidentally left in the bathroom of their home in Oakdale in June.

Another 4-year-old boy fired a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol at a 2-year-old, injuring him. The older found the pistol between some couch cushions. A report said a 33-year-old woman left it there when she fell asleep the night before. She was booked for cruelty to juveniles.