Florida authorities say the 4-year-old boy was waiting in the car before he waited, so he found his father’s gun and shot him.
The selected Morris passed away the next day, the Davenport Police Department said.
The Morris family was preparing for their family night on Friday, police chief Steve Parker said in a broadcast of Monday’s press conference by WTVT.
Dad was in the bathroom and Mom was in the bedroom, while the two older brothers were in the living room and playing games, the police chief said.
“They were out for pizza. They had promised to stop by the store and buy presents (it was chosen),” Parker said. “And they were going to go back home and play board games.”
Detectives believe the 4-year-old was excitedly out into the garage to wait in the car. He then found his father’s handgun under the driver’s seat and shot it when he accidentally shot him in the head, police said.
The boy’s mom tells the police that she heard something sounded like pop, as if something was broken, and she goes out to the living room and asks the older kids what happened.
The seven- and 11-year-olds said they hadn’t dropped or broken anything but didn’t know where they were chosen, police said. Mom went to look for him and saw the door leading to the garage open and she found her son in the front seat of the car with a shooting injury, Parker said.
Police said the nursing student’s mother began offering first aid when nursing students drove to hospital, but died the following day around 3pm.
Dad told police he was holding the gun for safety as he went in and out of work, but he forgot to lock it up when he got home Thursday night. Authorities said.
“Again, I can’t stress enough how tragic this incident is,” Parker said. “But on that same side there is the responsibility and lessons that need to be learned in gun safety. For this, make sure the firearm is fixed and you’re away from the boy. We’ll try to prevent this from happening.
The police chief said he will meet with the state attorney’s office on a protocol-by-protocol after the investigation is completed, but he doesn’t think anyone will face charges.
“I met my family early today and they’re devastated. They’re devastated about what happened,” Parker said.
Davenport is a drive about 35 miles southwest of Orlando.
