Toddler dies after accidentally being shot in head by six-year-old brother

Police say the father of the two boys knowingly stored the loaded gun on top of a refrigerator where the children were able to access it

The father of the two boys has been charged with felony child endangerment (Reuters)

A three year old boy in Chicago has died after he was accidentally shot in the head by his six-year-older brother, police have said.

Chicago police said the toddler was shot around 9:05pm on Saturday and carried to a hospital by a relative. He was later pronounced dead at a different hospital.

The father of the two boys has been charged with felony child endangerment. According to police, he had knowingly stored the loaded gun on top of a refrigerator where his children were able to access the weapon.

The father is due to appear on bond court on Sunday.

Research by the Washington Post released in October showed there have been 43 instances of a person being shot by a toddler aged three or younger in the US this year alone – 31 of which resulted in the toddler shooting him or herself.

Averaging at one shooting a week, 13 of the 43 self-inflicted injuries were fatal, and two shootings resulted in the death of other people.

Additional reporting by AP