2-Year-Old Boy Shot Dead in Truck by His Brother, 7, Who Found Gun in Glove Box

A 2-year-old boy has died after being shot by his 7-year-old brother inside a truck.

On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the San Bernardino County Sheriff confirmed in a release that the pre-schooler from Crestline, California had been killed the previous day.

“At around 3:53 p.m., officers of Rancho Cucamonga attended the shooting that took place at a parking lot at 8250 Day Creek Boulevard,” the release stated.

“When deputies arrived, they learned a two-year-old male child had been shot. The child was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased,” the statement continued.  

“Through investigation, deputies learned the victim and his 7-year-old brother were inside a truck when the 7-year-old found a firearm in the glove box, resulting in the fatal shooting.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

“The Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division responded and assumed the investigation.  A report will be sent to the District Attorney’s Office for review,” the statement concluded.

People with information have been advised to contact the Specialized Investigations Division at 909-890-4904. Callers who want to remain anonymous should contact We-Tip at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go to wetip.com.

Per The Los Angeles Times, the National Violent Death Reporting System found that data from 2003 to 2021 showed that the largest percentage of unintentional firearm deaths in the U.S. occurred among children ages 11 to 15 (33%), while the second was among ages 0-5 (29%).

In February, PEOPLE reported that a three-year-old boy shot himself in the head after finding a gun inside his home.

Police Officer Caitlin Figueroa arrived at the boy’s home in Charlotte, N.C., to find him bleeding from the head.

While he was still alive at the time, he was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, per arelease by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. He was later pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.

Investigators believe the child shot himself by mistake with his mother’s unsecured gun.

This came after PEOPLE reported in June 2023, that a 6-year-old boy shot his 1-year-old sibling, who survived, in the cheek and shoulder after finding an unsecured gun at his home in Detroit.

For more information on safe firearm storage and the most effective ways to protect children from unsecured firearms, visit BeSMARTforkids.org.