Boy, 3, Dies After Shooting Himself With Gun: Police

A 3-year-old boy in Florida has died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police.

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) detectives said it was notified about an apparent shooting in Crimson Leaf Lane just before 1 p.m. on Sunday, WJTX reported.

When officers arrived at the property, they found the boy had suffered a gunshot wound to his head.

JSO Lieutenant Joseph Stronko told the network that the boy was shot in the head and had died at the scene.

He said: "We're early in the investigation at this time. There are no indicators that this was a criminal act."

Stronko also said there had been other adults in the home at the time and said they had cooperated with the police.

Newsweek has contacted the JSO for comment.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings from across the U.S., the boy is the only child aged 11 and under to have been fatally shot in Jacksonville this year.

But the database did find that eight children had died as a result of a gunshot wound in Florida since January 1, 2022.

Newsweek has reported on numerous cases where children have died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds after finding a gun.

Earlier this year, an Alabama toddler died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after finding a family member's firearm.

Hueytown Police Department officers said they found a 2-year-old boy had been shot and started life-saving efforts. The child was taken to a hospital in nearby Birmingham but was pronounced dead at some point after arrival.

Officers said that following the investigation, they discovered the child found the family member's weapon and fired it. Police later charged a woman with manslaughter after they collected enough evidence to present their case to local prosecutors.

In another case, a 3-year-old boy shot himself in the head with a gun that a family friend brought into a Detroit home.

Police arrested Janette Ann Smith, 30, from Roseville, and charged her with careless, reckless, or negligent use of a firearm.

Smith had visited the boy's mother to collect food that was prepared for her, police told NBC-affiliate WDIV. When Smith entered the home, she put her coat down, which had a gun in one of its pockets, on a chair in the living room.

The boy found the handgun while Smith was in the kitchen speaking with the boy's mother, according to the network.

After the pair heard a bang in the living room, they found that the boy had shot himself in the head.

The boy was later taken to a nearby hospital and was treated for his injury.