The toddler found the legally owned weapon in the family's car, accidentally shot himself in the chest with it

Jan 22, 2015 14:31 GMT  ·  By

This past Wednesday, a 2-year-old boy in the US passed away after finding his father's handgun and accidentally shooting himself in the chest with it.

Apparently, the boy stumbled upon the weapon while playing inside the family's car. Being alone, he simply grabbed it and somehow managed to fire it. The bullet killed him on the spot.

How the incident played out

As mentioned, it was this past Wednesday that the toddler, identified as Kaleb Ahles of Eastlake, Florida, shot himself dead with his father's handgun. According to the officers investigating the case, the incident occurred in the afternoon.

It is understood that the 2-year-old was left alone in the family's car because he and his parents were moving house. Thus, his mother and his father were busy packing and carrying their belongings and simply assumed that the boy would be safe in the vehicle.

Having found his dad's .380 caliber handgun in the car's glove box, the boy took it out, most likely to play with it. He accidentally pulled the trigger and fired a bullet into his chest. His parents rushed to his rescue, but unfortunately, failed to save his life.

“Kaleb was alone inside the car when the family heard a loud popping sound. They immediately ran to the vehicle. The mother, Christina Nigro, began CPR while family members on scene called 911.”

“Kaleb was transported to Trinity Hospital via ambulance for life threatening injuries and was pronounced deceased at the hospital,” the police officers called in to investigate the 2-year-old's death explained in a statement, as cited by The Telegraph.

The boy's death was just a tragic accident

By the looks of it, Kaleb Ahles' parents will not be held accountable for his death. Authorities say that, since the handgun was secured in the car's glove box and the boy found it quite by mistake, they is no reason to file legal charges against them.

Still, this does not mean that the case is closed. On the contrary, a thorough investigation into this incident is underway, and police officers promise that, when things settle down, they will visit the boy's mother and his father and question them once again.

A photo of Kaleb Ahles
A photo of Kaleb Ahles

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Toddler dies after accidentally shooting himself in the chest
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