A five-year-old girl was fatally shot yesterday in Mountain Village after her older brother was handling a .22 caliber rifle.
Alaska State Troopers say the incident happened early Monday afternoon, when an eight-year-old boy was playing with a Ruger 10/22 rifle.
“He had used actually to go hunting the day before. But when he was handling the Ruger he ended up shooting his five year old sister and she died as a result of her injuries,” Trooper Spokesperson Megan Peters said.
Peters said the two children were alone in the house at the time of the shooting.
“The eight-year-old had been left at the residence. And in a span of about fifteen minutes, (his) five-year-old sister came in and it was in that short amount of time that this tragedy occurred.”
No charges have yet been filed in the case. Peters said the Alaska Office of Children’s Services and the Bethel District Attorney’s office has been contacted.
“It just goes to show you how much can go wrong in such a short amount of time. It’s a very big tragedy for the family of course.”
Peters encouraged families and individuals to talk with young people about gun safety.
Mark Arehart is a reporter with KYUK in Bethel.
