2-Year-Old Shoots Self In Face: Boy Finds Gun Under Pillow In Bedroom, Shoots Self By Accident

A 2-year-old shot himself in the face after finding a gun underneath a pillow or blanket on a bed at home. The incident occurred in Peoria, Arizona, Thursday night, and police remain at the scene, WAFB 9 reports.

Detectives explain that the toddler was playing on a bed when he found a handgun underneath a pillow or blanket. His grandmother said she heard the gunshot. She and the boy’s aunt were at home at the time of the accidental shooting. It’s believed that the gun belongs to the boy’s father.

The little boy was rushed to a local hospital.

ABC 15 Arizona further reports that the toddler shot himself in the face around 9:40 p.m. The news source writes that the boy is in serious condition. Foul play isn’t suspected in this case.

The boy’s grandmother had no idea that her grandson had a hold of a gun, Davies said.

“She was unsure at what point did the child get a hold of the gun. She wasn’t aware that he had it and again in the process of playing around on the bed, the gun went off.”

A 7-year-old brother of the victim was also at home when the 2-year-old shot himself in the face. Their father was at work when the shooting took place but rushed to be at his son’s side at the hospital.

If charges are filed, it won’t be until the investigation reveals who owned the firearm and how it was being stored.

“It’s way too soon. We’ve got to figure out whose gun it was, where it actually was being stored. It’s just too soon in the process to determine any of that,” Davies said.

In the beginning, police thought a girl had shot herself when they received the call, but learned it was actually a boy who accidentally fired the weapon.

The Inquisitr reported on another incident in which a toddler found a gun in a bedroom and shot himself. The child located his father’s gun in a walk-in closet.

Jay Davies of the Peoria Police Department discussed the importance of preventing something like this from happening to children.

“You’ve got to keep this gun with a gun lock and a gun safe and keep it out of the hands of children. Unfortunately these are the types of things that happen when these precautions are not in place.”

No other details on the 2-year-old who shot himself in the face have been released as of this writing.

[Photo by St. Louis County Police Department via Getty Images]