Source: Carrastock / Getty
A four-year-old Louisiana boy fatally shot himself with a gun found in the back of a car where he was seated with two siblings as his mom and her friend were under the influence in the front of the vehicle.
A memo released on Jan. 30, by Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto detailed that the shooting happened on Jan. 29, in Westwego, Louisiana at around 10:45 PM. When authorities arrived at the scene, the child had suffered from one gunshot wound to the head.
“Our initial investigation has led our investigators to believe that the child was injured not by a hostile act, but by a negligent one,” a news release by Jefferson Parish stated.
Although the 4-year-old was transferred to the hospital, he later succumbed to his injuries. The other children in the car with him were a 1-year-old and 22-month-old. No other injuries were reported.
“The gun, which belongs to the child’s father, who was not there at the time of the shooting, was left under a seat,” NBC News detailed with insight from the sheriff. “The mother and her friend did not know the weapon was there.”
Lopinto also shared the adults involved admitted to using marijuana at the time of the tragic incident, although no weed was recovered from the vehicle. According to the sheriff, the two have remained cooperative throughout the ongoing investigation.
“These types of deaths can certainly be prevented,” Lopinto said at a news conference.
“I don’t think it was appropriate to make an arrest on this at this point,” he added. “They’ve just lost a child. It certainly wasn’t intentional by any means.”
“We shouldn’t ever leave a gun inside of a vehicle for numerous different reasons,” Lopinto said, “This one being the most tragic reason.”
RELATED CONTENT: “Louisiana Officer Dies From COVID-19 A Day Before Wedding”
