19-year-old man accidentally shot, killed by Georgia toddler

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A 19-year-old was accidentally shot and killed by a 3-year-old in Georgia on Monday, according to law enforcement.

The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office said around 7:30 a.m., deputies responded to a home on Eagles Nest Drive in Hiram about a shooting.

Investigators said the 3-year-old at a home in Hiram, found a gun then accidentally shot and killed the young man.

“The facts are the facts, from the time that we got there and they haven’t changed. It’s just unfortunate,” said a spokesperson with the sheriff’s office.

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Investigators said on Sunday night, the the teen victim came to visit family at the house and brought the gun. Police said they believe the teen placed the gun down somewhere when he went to sleep.

Investigators said around 7 a.m. Monday, the toddler woke up while the rest of the house of roughly nine to 12 people slept.

Officials said the child accidentally shot the teen in his sleep. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies tried to save his life, but the man died at the scene.

Investigators say the toddler and teenager were not related, but there was a mix of families in the home at the time.

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“He has no recollection of what he did, or the consequences that are life altering because of it. It’s one of the more unfortunate things we have to deal in our line of work is accidents like this,” said the spokesperson.

Officials are calling this a tragic accident, yet a grim reminder on gun safety and storage.

“Have the proper place to store your fire arm, and have a lock on. And of course it goes without saying, keep your guns away from children. Even if think ‘I’ve talked to my child about the importance of gun safety, they are in a safe, all these types of things.’ These things happen time and time again across the country that are so easily preventable,” said the spokesperson.

Paulding County Sheriff’s Office said at this time no one is being criminally charged and the investigation remains ongoing.