A 10-year-old boy was killed in San Diego after an accidental shooting Tuesday.
According to police, the child and a 9-year-old girl were handling a loaded gun in the garage of a housing complex when the shooting took place, local news outlets report. Though the boy, identified by ABC 10News as Eric Klyaz, was rushed to a local hospital, he succumbed to his injuries later that day.
As the Associated Press notes, the girl's 14-year-old sibling was babysitting at the time, and no adults were present. After the shot rang out shortly after 4 p.m., adults nearby ran to the garage and discovered Klyaz had been shot in the chest. Police found a 9 mm semi-automatic at the scene.
"I heard a loud pop and said that didn’t sound good,” a neighbor told Fox 5 News San Diego. ”I found a boy curled up in the fetal position with a red dot on his back it looked like a gun shot.”
Klyaz's parents also rushed to the garage, which residents dubbed more of a playhouse for kids in the complex, and discovered he was not breathing. The 10-year-old's father cradled his son while others attempted CPR, U-T San Diego reports.
San Diego Police Department officials have launched an investigation into the accidental shooting, and the 9-year-old girl's parents could face criminal charges, NBC 7 News San Diego reports.
"We’re going to have to investigate where the gun was and whether the child had immediate access to it or if they were digging around in an area where they wouldn’t expect for them to get to,” Lt. Joseph Ramos told the local NBC affiliate.
The 10-year-old's death is one of several accidental shootings in recent months. In May, an 11-year-old Florida boy was fatally shot by his 4-year-old relative on Mother's Day. At the time the older boy was trying to get the loaded gun away from his younger relatives, who were playing with the loaded weapon.
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