Boy, 4, Fatally Shot After Finding Gun At Home; 3 Including Parents Arrested

A 4-year-old boy was fatally shot after he and one of his siblings found a gun inside their North Carolina home.

The child's death led to the arrest of his parents and another relative living in the house.

Gaston County Police responded to a residence on Cindy Lane in Gastonia after 4 p.m. Tuesday and found the child unresponsive with a gunshot wound, according to WBTV.

While life-saving measures were performed on the boy, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials said the boy lost his life after being struck by a bullet fired from the gun the child and his brother found inside the house.

The preliminary investigation led officials to believe that the weapon was not properly secured by the three adults living in the house.

Savannah Leigh Brehm, 22, Hector Manuel Mendoza, 21, and Keith Strughill, 21, were arrested in connection with the boy's death. They were charged with involuntary manslaughter, felony child abuse, and storing a firearm in a manner accessible to a minor.

"When a child's involved, it's very gut-wrenching. It's heartbreaking. It's very shocking to the system," Police Capt. Bill Downey said, according to the outlet.

Downey said they spoke with witnesses and gathered evidence as part of the investigation into the boy's death, WSOC-TV reported.

"We will look into everything that's going on at the house," Downey was quoted saying. "What's happened in the past. Previous calls for service to see if there's any type of history with the residence."

Downey further reminded adults of the importance of storing their guns securely and out of the reach of children. "Please make sure you do lock your guns up. Gun locks are very cheap. They're not hard to come by."

Gun locks are available free of cost at the front desk of the Gaston County police department, officials said.

"If you have guns, keep them up," a neighbor, Sierra Stevens, told the outlet. "Keep them away from children, please."

Conner Kring, property manager and neighbor to the victim's family, described the family as helpful to the residents in the area.

"It's just a very unfortunate thing that's happened and, from what we can tell, an accident," Kring told WCNC Charlotte. "I just can't imagine what they're going through right now."