4-Year-Old Fatally Shoots Self With Unsecured Gun In Car While Mom Left For Shopping

A 4-year-old Georgia boy has been killed after he accidentally shot himself with an unsecured handgun he found in his mom's car while she went shopping.

The officials have identified the deceased child as 4-year-old Miyell Hernandez. The incident happened at about 5 p.m. Sunday, while the child was waiting inside his mother's vehicle that was parked outside a Publix in DeKalb County, DeKalb police said in a statement Monday, as reported by NY Post

Hernandez was left in the car with two other children including his infant sibling, and a 13-year-old relative, while his mother went shopping. After the fatal incident, the teen relative immediately ran inside the shop for help, and the injured boy was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Meanwhile, it is unclear how the boy got hold of the gun as the family claimed that Hernandez's mother did not own a gun. It is also not known if the gun was legally registered.

No one else was injured in the incident, and no charges have been filed yet, while the case remains under investigation

Meanwhile, DeKalb police Chief Mirtha Ramos shared condolences to the boy's family in an emailed statement "Our hearts and thoughts go out to the Hernandez family. We’re imploring gun owners to always keep their guns safe and secure," the statement read.

Hernandez's heartbroken family described the child as a "sweet little boy" who was looking forward to his summer trip to Walt Disney World.

"He’s innocent and he’s so pure," April Griffin, the deceased child's grandmother, said. "Even though he’s not here, we know he went to heaven. We know it," the grieving grandmother added, as reported by Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Hernandez's death marked the sixth case of a fatal shooting this year in Atlanta that killed a child under the age of 18.

Last week, a 7-year-old child was accidentally shot by his 9-year-old stepbrother when they were waiting in a parked car while the boy's mother went inside a restaurant to pick up food. The incident happened outside Chipotle outlet in Snellville, Atlanta, and the child was rushed to a hospital with injuries. It was unclear how the child got hold of the gun or where exactly the weapon was located inside the car.