SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. — A toddler accidentally shot and killed his 6-year-old sister after finding an unsecured gun in an Alabama home, authorities said.
According to WBRC, the incident occurred about 10 a.m. local time Monday at a Helena police officer’s home on Goldilocks Lane in Maylene. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said a 3-year-old boy discovered a firearm, which wasn’t the officer’s department-issued gun, inside the home, AL.com reported. The weapon then discharged, striking the boy’s sister, deputies said.
Emergency crews transported the girl to a nearby hospital, where she died, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
AL.com identified the victim as Bella Hockert. The Helena officer, who was not home when the shooting occurred, is not her father, according to the news outlet.
Hockert’s funeral is set for Thursday, AL.com reported. As of early Wednesday, a GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $8,000 for the family.