A five-year-old boy shot his eight-year-old brother to death in a “tragic accident” in a US home.
After a call to the emergency services Thursday afternoon, the sheriffs went to a house in Jefferson County, Arkansas, to find an “unresponsive” child inside.
The county coroner was called and the baby was pronounced dead.
Four other siblings and their mother were thought to be inside the house when the killing shot was fired.
Investigators believe it was an accident.
Sheriff Lafayette Woods said: “This is a tragic accident that could have been avoided.
“I cannot stress strongly enough that weapons must be well secured and kept out of the hands and away from children at all times.
“Gun owners who don’t properly protect their firearms are only a split second away from one of these tragedies happening in their home.”
According to statistics from the Brady Campaign, a nonprofit group that defends gun control, 321 people are killed every day in the United States, including 111 killed.
Among them, 22 children and adolescents are killed.
In May, 19 children and two staff members were killed by Salvador Ramos’ school dropout in an elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
The victims of Uvalde
Read more:
The maps show the extent of gun violence in America
More than 700 people were shot dead in the United States by the Texas school shooting
The Arkansas Department of Human Services was briefed on the shooting, with social workers arriving to assess the well-being of the children living in the home, as well as other conditions.
Family members could be seen gathering outside the home as agents continued their investigation of the scene.
An autopsy exam will be performed.
