Arizona Boy Shoots 18-Month-Old Brother Dead After Finding Neighbor’s Gun

An Arizona boy shot and killed his 18-month-old brother using a gun belonging to a neighbor. According to Raw Story, the family was visiting the neighbor when the 3-year-old and his brother wandered into another room. The boy came across a gun that was laying around — and within his reach. Police Chief Don Engler said that the toddler picked up a semi-automatic handgun and shot his younger brother in the head just as their mother was walking into the room. The 18-month-old was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

According to AZFamily.com:

“They had only been there 10 or 15 minutes when the boys got into another room where they found the gun. Police said the mother was looking for the boys and just as she walked through the door of that room the 3-year-old boy fired the gun. There were several 911 calls about a child with a head injury.”

The Arizona boy shot his little brother in the head with just one pull of the trigger. Police say that the gun was “not locked up” and that there were other dangerous weapons found in the 78-year-old man’s apartment. At this time, no charges have been filed but police say that they will obtain a search warrant and further investigate the apartment and the man who lives there.

“Police said there were multiple weapons in that apartment and the gun the boys found was not locked up. Investigators are not ruling out the possibility of charges against the mother and her friend.”

Payson resident Ashley Nicole Wilcox said:

“The mother was taking the trash out down stairs in a small apartment. Left the children alone for a minute. The real question is why was there a loaded fire arm in reach for the children to get.”

Naturally everyone is going to have an opinion on this story but at the end of the day, it is simply a tragedy. While somewhat rare, there have been other instances where children find and shoot guns. Last year, a 4-year-old accidentally shot and killed his father in a tragic accident also in Arizona. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the young boy found a gun at a friend’s house, aimed the gun at his dad, and pulled the trigger.

These stories always seem to bring up the importance of keeping weapons secured, regardless of whether or not a person anticipates someone coming into their home and finding their gun/using it. For more on this story, check out the video above.