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4-year-old dies after shooting himself in backseat of car

Crime Scene
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A 4-year-old boy in Louisiana died after shooting himself, authorities said.

The child was reportedly in the backseat of a car with two siblings when the gun went off. Authorities believe the boy found the gun under the seat.

According to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate, the boy's mother and another adult were in the front seat smoking marijuana.

The Associated Press reports that the gun belonged to the child's father.

No one has been arrested, but an investigation is ongoing.

"I don't think it was appropriate to make an arrest at this point," Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said. “They just lost a child, and it certainly wasn’t intentional, by any means.”

The sheriff cautioned people about leaving guns inside vehicles.

“These types of deaths can certainly be prevented,” he said.