DELLWOOD, Mo. — Police say a 4-year-old boy died from a gunshot wound Thursday afternoon. Police say it appears the child was playing with a gun.
The North County Police Cooperative said officers responded to a shooting at a home in the 10000 block of Olney Drive in Dellwood. The shooting happened at 12:30 p.m.
Emergency responders were not able to revive the boy.
"It's just a horrific accident is what we believe it to be and we certainly don't want it to happen again," said Major Ron Martin with North County Police Cooperative.
It was not immediately known who owned the gun or how the boy got ahold of it.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting were not immediately known.
A neighbor told 5 On Your Side's Robert Townsend that the boy lived in the home with his mother and infant sibling.
"I've never seen anything like this happen before and it's sad," said neighbor Aundryana Washington.
This story will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
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Better Family Life is a nonprofit community development organization working to “stabilize inner-city neighborhoods.” One aspect of its mission is a gun violence de-escalation program.
To learn more, call 314-381-8200 or visit https://www.betterfamilylife.org/
Life Outside of Violence “helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence.”
To learn more, call 314-327-6697 or email: ProjectLOV@WUSTL.edu
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has an anti-crime program called “Safety Net for Youth Initiative,” which is a joint partnership with Saint Louis Public Schools to provide services to at-risk youth.
To learn more, visit https://www.ulstl.com/anti-crime-initiative.html
Cure Violence is an international organization that has recently launched in a handful of St. Louis neighborhoods. Violence interrupters are trained to deescalate violent situations within their own communities. To learn more, visit https://cvg.org/