3-Year-Old Dies After Finding Gun And Accidentally Shooting Herself On Christmas Day

A North Carolina girl, who accidentally shot herself in the head on Christmas Day, succumbed to the injury after spending days fighting for her life in the hospital. 3-year-old Aylee Gordon was pronounced dead Tuesday night, authorities said Wednesday.

Daughter of retired Henderson County Sheriff’s Capt. Tim Gordon, little Aylee found the gun in a truck and accidentally pulled the trigger on herself. The shooting took place in the rural community of Edneyville and was reported on Christmas Day at around 2:30 p.m., according to NBC News.

Gordon called 911 after the incident.

“She picked up a pistol and shot herself in the head by accident. We didn't know. She's got a head wound,” Gordon was heard saying on the call, as quoted by WRAL.com.

“She shot herself in the head?” the dispatcher asked.

“Yes,” the father replied.

Gordon, who retired from the Sheriff's Office in 2016, also explained to the dispatcher that the gun did not belong to his family. It was left in the truck by someone visiting the family for the holiday.

"We had a visitor visiting for Christmas, and they left a gun in the car and I didn't know it," Gordon said. "She picked it up and it went off."

When the dispatcher asked whether the shooting took place in a car, Gordon said it happened in his own truck, a Dodge Dakota. "My wife was going to take her back to the house to change clothes, and she climbed in the truck and there was a gun there that somebody had left and there it went," the father said on the call.

Gordon also told the dispatcher that he was driving to a fire station because he was struggling to get a signal on his cellphone, according to NBC affiliate WYFF. His daughter and wife were in the backseat of the vehicle at the time.

The little girl was rushed to the Mission Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery. A few days after she was admitted, Aylee passed away Tuesday night, according to a statement provided by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff's Office noted that the local district attorney's office or the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation will decide on possible criminal charges in connection with the child's death.

The family posted a message after Aylee passed away on a GoFundMe page, set up to raise funds in light of her death. “Our beautiful little angel gained her wings last night,” they said. “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the tremendous support to our family and appreciate continuous prayers.”