Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Four-year-old boy 'shot dead by brother while playing with gun' in family home

The children's mother has been arrested and charged with child endangerment

Siobhan Fenton
Sunday 26 June 2016 15:18 BST
The children's mother has been arrested on child endangerment charges
The children's mother has been arrested on child endangerment charges

A four-year-old boy has died after being accidentally shot in the head by his six-year-old brother, authorities have said.

The incident took place in New Jersey in the US. The boys were playing on the front porch of their home when the shooting occurred, CBS reports.

The boy was taken to hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead soon after.

It is unknown how the children came to be in possession of the weapon.

The children’s mother Itiyanah Spruill, 22, has been arrested and charged with “endangering the welfare of a child” and a weapons violation. She has been released on bail.

Neighbours told local media they were "stunned" by the incident.

In a statement, Mayor Lester E. Taylor III said: “This is a terribly unfortunate incident. Our thoughts are with him and his family.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in