A young girl has tragically died after she was playing around with her mom's loaded gun, which resulted in her accidentally shooting herself.
Priscilla McCullough, of Chicago, Illinois, happened upon her parent's unlocked firearm while her mom was bathing her one-year-old sibling when she asked her 'is this real?' of the gun.
Her 42-year-old mom told police that the gun was usually locked away in a safe in her bedroom, but wasn't on this occasion.
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The 12-year-old, who lived on the 7100 block of South Constance Avenue, then fired a shot into her abdomen, according the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Having heard the gun sound off, her 11-year-old sister rushed into the bathroom - separate to the one their mom was in - from the kitchen where she was eating, to find Priscilla in serious need of medical attention.
Her mom then ordered the 11-year-old to dial 911 as she applied pressure to Priscilla's wound.
Priscilla was in critical condition when she was rushed to Comer Children’s Hospital, but sadly at 7.24pm she was pronounced dead, the medical examiner’s office states.
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An autopsy on Monday came back as inconclusive, pending further investigation.
This tragedy comes just five months after a five-year-old boy died following an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In August 2024, Brooks Thomas Wilson found a 9mm gun in his home and accidentally fired a single shot to his head, according to police.
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Lt. Mike Wall with the Santaquin Police Department said that his parents and siblings were home at the time, however, they were not in the room with him, as per ABC News.
He further explained that his family tried to resuscitate him while emergency responders tried their best to save the little boy. He was confirmed dead at the scene.
Authorities do not suspect foul play and charges against his parents are not currently being pursued.
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According to FOX 13, Utah doesn't have any laws that penalize a person for failing to secure their firearms and leaving it unattended to an unsupervised minor.
It is also not required by the state to store weapons in a certain way or require a locking device, however, investigators are looking into how he could have got his hands on a gun - which is currently unknown.
Lt. Wall also declined to comment on if or how the gun was secured, The Daily Mail says.
A GoFundMe page in memory of Brooks has been set up, with his relative Spencer organizing the fund to 'support our family during this time, any contributions will go towards covering funeral expenses'.
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If you have been affected by the contents of this article, please find more information and support via Survivors Empowered on their website.
Joe Yates