GRIFFIN, Ga. (AP) - A 5-year-old boy fatally shot his 12-year-old brother with a gun he found in the woods over the weekend, according to authorities in Georgia.
Griffin police found the 12-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest on Saturday evening, the department said in a statement. First responders performed CPR and the boy was taken to a hospital where he later died.
The victim and his siblings, ages 5 and 7, were in the woods when the 5-year-old found the gun, according to the statement. Special investigators spoke to the child and determined he thought it was a toy when he fired it, striking his brother.
Officers had searched an area near where the gun was found earlier Saturday after suspects fled a traffic stop nearby, police said. A bag of suspected drugs was discovered, but no gun was found at the time.
In their statement Sunday, Griffin police said the shooting was likely a "tragic accident" and officers would now investigate who discarded the weapon.
"We will diligently pursue and charge any other parties responsible for the actions leading up to the apparent abandonment of this weapon allowing for access by these innocent children," officials said.
The gun was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an analysis, authorities added.