'Tragic Incident': 5-Year-Old Arkansas Boy Fatally Shoots 8-Year-Old Brother, Cops Say

Pine Bluff, Arkansas -- A 5-year-old boy fatally shot his 8-year-old brother in an incident investigators believed was “accidental.”

The incident took place Thursday at around 2 p.m. on Shannon Valley Road on the outskirts of Pine Bluff, CNN reported. According to officials, the children’s mother and four other siblings were at home when the child was shot.

Deputies arrived at the scene to find the victim “unresponsive” inside the house. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The body was sent for an autopsy, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

"You know, just a loss for words right now. Just because the nature of the incident and the ages of those involved,” said Jefferson County Sheriff, Lafayette Woods Jr., according to THV11.

Woods said the children’s mother woke up to the sound of a gunshot and found her son dead.

"It appears that based on arrival at least the mother was actually present. It was reported that she may have been sleeping at the time, heard the gunshot, went in and actually found the 8-year-old on the floor," Woods said, according to the outlet.

Following the shooting, the Department of Human Services was called to evaluate the welfare of the children. Deputies are also investigating the circumstances that led to the child’s death.

Investigators retrieved several guns from the house and are actively working to find out whether neglect was involved in where the gun was placed in the house. This would determine whether charges will be filed in connection with the 8-year-old’s death, officials further said.

“There are some questions unanswered, like how secure the weapons truly were. The mother said the weapons were secure, but we’re vetting that information now,” Woods said, according to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Officials reinforced the need to safely keep weapons in the house, especially when children are around.

"This is a tragic incident that could have been avoided. I can't emphasize strongly enough that guns need to be well secured and kept out of the hands and away from children at all times," Woods said in the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office news release. "Gun owners that do not properly secure their firearms are just one split second away from one of these tragedies happening in their home."