BROOKVILLE, Kan. — A young child who gained access to a shotgun fatally shot a 5-year-old girl and critically injured an 8-year-old boy, authorities in Kansas said on Monday.
According to the Ellsworth County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred in Brookville on March 28.
Deputies said that a 911 dispatcher received a call at about 3:15 p.m. CT, stating that two children had been severely injured in a shooting, KWCH reported.
According to a news release from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, preliminary information indicated that a young child “picked up a loaded, unsecured shotgun and fired, striking two siblings.”
First responders gave aid to the 5-year-old, but the girl died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said. The 8-year-old was flown to a hospital 100 miles away in Wichita and was listed in critical condition.
It was unclear where the children’s parents were at the time of the shooting.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation, the agency said.
Ellsworth County Sheriff Kenny Bernard addressed gun safety in the wake of the shooting, adding that proper storage of guns can help prevent children from gaining access to guns.
“Keeping them behind a locked door, whether it be a gun cabinet or a gun safe,” Bernard told KWCH.
The sheriff added that residents should be diligent, especially during hunting season.
“When you’re done with the shoot, you should empty your firearm in the field, carry it back to your vehicle, safely store it in the vehicle, away from the ammunition as well,” Bernard told the television station.