Toddler Eian Santiago shot dead by six-year-old brother while playing ‘cops and robbers’

Police arrested the father who said he bought the weapon for protection as he is a former gang member and ‘snitched’ in a trial

Grandfather Israel LeSalle holds a picture of three-year-old Eian Santiago (YouTube)

A three-year-old boy who died ater being accidentally shot in the head by his big brother was playing “cops and robbers” when the incident happened.

The boy, named as Eian Santiago, was rushed to hospital on Saturday by a family member at shortly after 9pm, but was later pronounced dead.

Eian's father, Michael Santiago, 25, was arrested and charged with child endangerment, a felony for knowingly storing the loaded gun wrapped in a pair of pyjamas on top of a refrigerator where his children were able to access the weapon.

Mr Santiago claimed he was a former member of the Spanish Cobras street gang and had bought the gun for protection, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

Mr Gugliemi said the boys had been playing “cops and robbers” at the time of the shooting in Cook County.

The boys’ grandfather Israel LaSalle, who was looking after the children while Santiago was at work and the mother was at the shop with her one-year-old child, told CLTV the victim was “a beautiful kid,” adding: “It’s real crazy.”

“That’s why parents should never have guns in the house.”

Mr Santiago appeared in court on Sunday and his bail has been set at $75,000 (£48,600).

The Chicago Tribune reports it was revealed in court Santiago had shown his six-year-old son where the .32-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver was kept a week before the shooting, telling the boy it was only to be used by adults, prosecutor Joseph DiBella said.

Mr Santiago reportedly does not have a licence to own the gun. Mr DiBella said that in a videotape statement “the defendant said he kept the gun for protection because he was a former gang member who snitched on a gang member in a murder trial”.

Cook County Judge James Brown said in court: “I’m sure the defendant did not intent for this to happen, but it happened. And it’s what happens when people have guns who shouldn’t have guns. That’s why we’ve had 2,300 people shot in Chicago so far this year.”

Additional reporting by Reuters