6-year-old dies after accidentally shot in head by another child, Florida police say

In another instance of a child getting a hold of a gun inside a home, a six-year-old was accidently shot in the head by a nine-year-old on Monday afternoon in Jacksonville, Florida.

The six-year-old was taken to a hospital but died, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

“Initial investigation determined the two juveniles were located inside of the residence in the care of an adult,” Stronko said. “One of the juveniles was able to obtain a firearm and fired a single shot striking the victim. There is no indication of criminal violence.”

Assistant Chief J.D. Stronko said it was too early in the investigation and couldn’t say where the gun had been or who it belonged to. He said he could not describe the relationship between the two children due to the state’s Marsy’s Law.

He did say the adult was being questioned but no charges have been filed.

Unnecessary deaths: 9 children in Florida have died from accidental shootings since 2021. 5 of them were in Jacksonville.

In some similar cases, culpable negligence charges were charged under specific circumstances against caregivers and in others no one was arrested. In a 2021 case a 14-year-old boy was charged with culpable negligence for the improperly stored firearm that a 6-year-old boy retrieved and accidentally shot himself, according to Times-Union archives.

That boy was shot in the head in the Jacksonville home where several other people were inside, the Sheriff’s Office said. The investigation showed the 6-year-old boy, identified as Danny Waye III by family, had been in a bedroom watching television when he found the loaded handgun.

In a 2017 case, a 9-year-old boy got his hands on his father’s stolen gun in Nortwest Jacksonville and accidentally shot an 8-year-old friend who survived, according to another Times-Union article. The father was initially charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and permitting gun access to a juvenile, and eventually culpable negligence.