4-Year-Old Accidentally Shot To Death While Adults Smoke Marijuana In The Car

A 4-year-old boy in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, was fatally shot inside a car over the weekend while two adults were smoking marijuana in the vehicle's front seat, police said Sunday.

Deputies with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office (JPSO) were dispatched to the 900 block of Stilwell Lane in the city of Westwego Saturday morning for a report of a child being shot, the department said in a statement.

Authorities found the child with a single gunshot wound. The boy was transported to a local hospital, but he later succumbed to his injuries.

An initial investigation revealed that the shooting — determined to be a "negligent" act — occurred as the child was sitting inside a car, positioned outside a residence, with a younger sibling and two adults.

The names of the victim, the sibling and the adults were not released. Police also did not disclose the relationship between the deceased boy and the two adults.

"As the adults were smoking marijuana in the front seat, a shot was fired inside the vehicle that struck the victim, causing the fatal injury," the JPSO said.

It was unclear who fired the shot, but authorities believe it was not self-inflicted.

An investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

Authorities did not mention if the two adults involved would face charges over the fatal shooting.

Following the shooting, the JPSO reminded the public that "part of responsible gun ownership is securing firearms at all times."

"Firearms should be stored unloaded and locked with a gun lock when possible," the force said.

In a similar incident, a 3-year-old boy in Texas died in October 2021 after he accidentally shot himself with an unsecured gun in his home.

Authorities found Troy Blue Dueñez with a gunshot wound to his chest on the 200 block of Begonia Street on Oct. 18, 2021.

Responders administered life-saving measures on Dueñez and took him to a nearby hospital, but the child later succumbed to his injuries.

An investigation determined that the boy accidentally shot himself with an "unsecured and loaded firearm" that the child found while he was under the care of his father, Salvador Domingo Dueñez Jr. The child's wound was found to be self-inflicted by an autopsy.

Salvador, who kept a semi-automatic handgun in a shoebox stored in a closet, was sleeping moments prior to the incident, official records showed.

The father turned himself in to the Elsa Police Department following the fatal shooting, and he was arraigned on one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

The firearm Salvador was accused of possessing illegally was allegedly the same gun that killed his son.

Salvador could face more charges over the incident, according to police.