4-year-old shoots, kills 2-year-old cousin with gun left unsecured in car: Sheriff
A 4-year-old boy shot and killed his 2-year-old cousin with a handgun that was left unsecured in a car, according to authorities in Florida.
Officers responded Sunday afternoon to a home in Kissimmee where they found a 2-year-old boy with a gunshot wound, Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon said.
The little boy, Brayden Tennyson, was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff's office said. Brayden would have turned 3 on Tuesday, according to the sheriff's office.
The two children were alone in the car when the 4-year-old found Brayden's mother's unsecured gun and discharged it, striking Brayden, the sheriff's office said.
The gun was "literally in the open," Blackmon said at a news conference.
"I would think if it's in a holster, maybe make it harder for the child to manipulate, as well, but it's literally laying out by itself. So it's easy to grab, and you pull the trigger. And you can't recall that, it's not a video game," Blackmon said.
The family had traveled from Louisville, Georgia, to Florida for vacation and were staying at a rental home, according to authorities.
"Family members were outside of the car and had not yet entered the home, when they heard a gunshot coming from inside the vehicle," the sheriff's office said.
The investigation is ongoing, the sheriff said, noting that charges are likely. Prosecutors said on Wednesday, "Because this is an active and ongoing investigation, we have no information to release at this time."
ABC News' Aidan Gellert contributed to this report.
