Toddler dies after being shot accidentally by 5-year-old brother, deputies say

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — A toddler has died after being accidentally shot by his 5-year-old brother, according to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.

Just before 5 p.m. Thursday, deputies went to a home on Fort Dobbs Road in Statesville. There, they found a neighbor performing CPR on a 3-year-old boy who had been shot.

He was then taken to a hospital in Winston-Salem where he later died.

Deputies determined that the toddler had been shot inside a car by his 5-year-old brother. Police said the gun was somewhere in the front of the car when the 5-year-old got ahold of it.

“We make this media release with great sadness. Please remember this family, along with all of the first responders who were at the scene and hospital, and keep them in your prayers in the coming days,” Sheriff Darren E. Campbell said in a statement.

Sheriff Campbell said everyone, from neighbors to first responders, jumped into action to save that little boy’s life.

“I didn’t know the family but as soon as I found out, it just hit me like a ton of bricks,” neighbor Faith Atwell said.

She said the shooting happened just a few feet away from where she lives.

“We knew something was seriously wrong. We heard the sirens out here,” Atwell said.

Police said the car the two kids were inside of was in front of the family’s home. Their mother was inside with her third child, a baby.

“We’re still choked up about it because it’s just -- when it hits home, and you see it for yourself, it is reality,” Atwell said.

Jennifer Hoag owns a salon a block away from where the shooting happened.

“My heart just breaks for them,” she said. “I can’t imagine that kind of loss.”

For Atwell, she’s thinking about the 3-year-old boy who will never sit in his car seat again.

“Please put your firearms in a safe place to keep children away from them,” she said. “Because it’s very important to learn that they can get in things within seconds, and it’s already too late.”

The sheriff’s department is echoing that same message to parents who are gun owners. Sheriff Campbell urged parents to pick up gun locks from the department to prevent another tragedy like this from happening.

The shooting is still under investigation. However, no charges have been filed at this time.

VIDEO: Father left gun under couch before 3-year-old son fatally shot self, prosecutors say

Father left gun under couch before 3-year-old son fatally shot self, prosecutors say

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