Sheriff: 2-year-old kills self with gun left on counter

LIVINGSTON, La. – A Louisiana sheriff says a 2-year-old has fatally shot himself with a handgun that was left on a counter in a Livingston Parish home.

The Advocate quotes Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard as saying the boy was found with a gunshot wound to the face Monday and declared dead at a hospital. Ard says in a release that a preliminary investigation indicates the toddler climbed onto a stool, grabbed the handgun off the counter and pulled the trigger.

Authorities haven’t released the child’s name. Authorities also haven’t released information about who owned the gun or who was home at the time of the shooting, citing an ongoing investigation. The newspaper says this is one of several fatal shootings involving Louisiana children and unattended guns this year.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com