3-Year-Old Milwaukee Boy Shoots Himself Dead At Home After Getting Hold Of Firearm

A 26-year-old man was taken into custody after a 3-year-old boy got hold of a firearm and accidentally shot himself dead at a home in Milwaukee.

The police responded to the residence in the Merrill Park neighborhood on Saturday night after receiving reports of a shooting incident, and found the boy lying unconscious with a gunshot wound, NBC-affiliated television station WTMJ reported.

The child was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Preliminary investigation found the boy, whose identity has not been revealed, got hold of the firearm and accidentally shot himself with it.

On Sunday morning, the 26-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the child’s death. However, the charges levied against him were not known, and it remained unclear if the suspect was related to the child and if the gun belonged to him.

Santa Medina, who was visiting her daughter who lived beside the 3-year-old boy’s home, recalled the moment the child’s uncle rushed out to seek help.

"He was like 'can you please come help?' And I was like 'is he okay?' And he said my nephew shot himself," Medina recalled, WTMJ reported.

Medina said the child’s mother was "distraught" following her son’s death.

"The heartbreak in her scream, that was scary in itself. For her to wake up today and know that she's one child less is heartbreaking. I just pray that God covers them and keeps them because today isn't going to be a good day for them," Medina said, WISN reported.

"I can still hear her screaming so I just hope it’s a lesson learned for everybody," she added.

An autopsy of the child’s body was scheduled for Monday.

In a similar incident last year, a 3-year-old boy accidentally shot himself dead at a home in St. Louis, Missouri. The police responded to the home and found the child with a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The authorities said the child, who got hold of a handgun, had shot himself in the head with it. A teen was present at the residence when the incident took place.