A 3-year old boy has accidentally shot and killed himself in the Houston area of the United States of America.
The unnamed 3-year-old boy, died after shooting himself in the head at home in north-western Harris County on Friday afternoon, The Guardian UK newspaper reports.
The
incident is one of 3 similar incidents that have taken place within 4
days. On Monday morning, a 6-year-old boy was taken to hospital in
critical condition after being shot by his 5-year-old brother on Monday
morning in north-east Harris County.
Meanwhile on Sunday, 4-year old Codrick Beal
shot himself with a gun he found while staying with a family friend at a
house still in the Houston area while his mother celebrated her
birthday.
A cousin of Codrick's mother described the incident as "a terrible accident”
Accidental
gun incidents involving children children have been on the rise in the
US and according to a report from the anti-gun violence group Everytown for Gun Safety, an average of almost two children a week were accidentally shot and killed in the US between December 2012 and December 2013.
The
report found that 65% of those deaths took place in a home or vehicle
belonging to the victim’s family and usually involved guns that were
legally owned but not properly secured. Another 19% happened in the home
of a relative or friend.
The report further
stated that "unintentional child gun deaths could be prevented: if fewer
gun owners left their guns loaded and unlocked, fewer children would
lose their lives"
