2 toddler boys killed in separate gun accidents in Virginia

LOUISA, Va. – A 2-year-old boy whose brother shot him was the first of two toddlers to be killed in gun accidents in Virginia on Tuesday.

Louisa County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Donald A. Lowe tells news outlets that Tyson Aponte’s 4-year-old brother mistook a gun for a toy Tuesday morning and fired it, hitting the toddler in the chest. Aponte died after rescuers attempted CPR.

Lowe says the boys’ mother was home at the time. Authorities are investigating.

Later Tuesday, a couple flagged down Roanoke police. Police spokeswoman Caitlyn Cline says that the man and woman told officers their 2-year-old son had accidentally shot himself at their apartment. The boy was pronounced dead at a hospital before 1 p.m.

The boy’s name and the circumstances leading to the shooting haven’t been released.