Baby dies after 5-year-old brother finds, shoots loaded gun

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

A 5-year-old boy found a loaded handgun and began playing with it. The gun then discharged, striking and killing the boy's baby brother

ELMO, MO -- A 9-month-old northwestern Missouri boy is dead after his 5-year-old brother playing with a handgun accidentally shot him in the head.

Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White says the baby was pronounced dead at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City just before noon on Monday.

The Kansas City Star reports emergency responders were called to a home in Elmo around 9:00am Monday after a 5-year-old found a loaded .22-caliber magnum revolver laying on a bed. The young boy was playing with the gun when it fired.

White says the bullet struck the 9-month-old in the head. The baby was in a playpen.

The sheriff says there is no reason to believe the shooting was anything other than an accident.

"At this point foul play is not suspected, and it appears at this time that the shooting was accidental," the Nodaway County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities say the gun belongs to a relative, but not the mother, ABC affiliate KETV reports. Authorities have not determined whether charges will be filed against any adult in the case.

Elmo is located 120 miles north of Kansas City, Missouri.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.