Three year old shoots and kills infant sister with unsecured handgun in San Diego residence

A three-year-old accidentally shot and killed their 1-year-old sibling in California on Monday after gaining access to a handgun, police said. 

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call reporting a shooting at a residence in the 1100 block of S. Stagecoach Lane in Fallbrook, California on Monday at around 7:30 a.m. local time, said Lt. Joseph Jarjura in a news release.

When officers arrived at the scene they found a 1-year-old that was suffering from a gunshot to the head. The infant was transferred to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead at around 8:30 a.m. “despite live-saving efforts,” the sheriff’s department said.

Deputies confirmed that the infant’s three-year-old sibling had gained access to an unsecured gun and shot the one-year-old. It is unclear if any adults were in the home at the time of the shooting. 

The shooting is still under investigation, according to the sheriff’s department. A local medical examiner will also conduct an autopsy on the child to determine the cause of death. 

"Sheriff's Homicide investigators are working to gather more information to determine the circumstances of the death," the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. "There are no outstanding suspects and there is no threat to the community."

"The Sheriff's Department extends our sympathies to the family and those affected by this death," Jarjura said, adding that the victim's name is not being released out of respect to the family. 

So far this year, there have been around 221 unintentional shootings by children in the country, leading to 78 deaths and 151 injuries, according to the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety.

Last month, a Michigan two-year-old died after gaining access to a gun and shooting themselves.