6-y-o boy dies after being shot by 4-y-o

NEW JERSEY, (AP):

A six-year-old boy who was accidentally shot in the head by a four-year-old playmate has died from his wounds, authorities said Tuesday night.

Ocean County prosecutor's office spokesman Al Della Fave confirmed Brandon Holt had died, but said he couldn't provide further details. Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said Holt was pronounced dead at 5 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after the shooting occurred in a neighbourhood that residents described as "very quiet".

The four-year-old, whose name was withheld, was not injured.

Prosecutor Joseph Coronato, speaking earlier Tuesday at a news conference, said the boy got the .22-calibre rifle from his home and it discharged accidentally Monday evening. The children, whose families live in the neighbourhood, were about 15 yards apart.

The younger boy's mother called the emergency dispatcher to report the shooting, Coronato said.

Coronato said it was too early in the investigation to know whether anyone would be charged. He would not say who owned the gun or speculate on how the four-year-old got it.

TRAGIC

Mastronardy called the shooting tragic and said it affected the whole community, a sentiment shared by those who live there.

The shooting came just days after a four-year-old boy in Tennessee grabbed a loaded gun at a family cookout and accidentally shot to death the wife of a sheriff's deputy, and amid debate over gun-control laws in the wake of December's Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school massacre.