2-year-old shot, killed in apparent accidental shooting in Florida, friends of family say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police in Jacksonville, Florida, are investigating what appears to be a fatal accidental shooting in the Panama Park area.

Friends of the victim’s family told ActionNewsJax reporter Alicia Tarancon that a 2-year-old boy picked up a gun that he thought was a toy, and it went off.

The boy’s mother recently moved to Jacksonville from the Daytona Beach area to start a better life, according to a family friend. They didn’t know the gun had been left out and that the child was able to access it, a friend said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called out to the shooting on East 43rd Street about 9:15 p.m. Monday.

At 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, ActionNewsJax counted at least two crime scene unit vans and three patrol cars. The area was blocked off for nearly eight hours.

JSO said that when deputies arrived, they found a child who had been shot. That child was taken to the hospital, where he died.

The friend said the family is asking other parents to talk to their children about playing with guns to prevent another tragedy.