A four-year-old boy shot himself in the head with a gun he found hidden under the couch in his home, Georgia police say.
Justin Foss Jr was pronounced dead on Saturday morning after the shooting in Augusta.
His father, Justin Foss Sr, 27, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon the same day, according to Richmond County jail records.
Justin Foss Jr, four, fatally shot himself in the head with a gun he found under the couch in his home in Augusta, Georgia, on Saturday morning. The toddler is pictured left and right
The boy’s parents, Justin Foss Sr, left, and Shelby Foss, right, told police they had hidden the gun under the couch
The 27-year-old father, left and right in his mug shot, has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was denied bond on Monday
Foss Sr and his wife Shelby Foss told an officer that Justin ‘found one of their guns under the couch where they hid it and shot himself in the head,’ the sheriff’s report states.
The toddler was taken to AU medical center where he died.
A neighbor who watched as police arrived at the home after the shooting told WRDW: ‘The dad seemed like he was distraught as well.
‘He just couldn’t believe what had happened.’
The neighbor said that the couple also had a daughter who is a few years older than their son.
A fundraising page has been set up to help the family cover funeral costs.
Foss Sr is now back behind bars six years after he was convicted of strong armed robbery in Greer, South Carolina, in 2012.
The then-20-year-old was accused of stabbing 67-year-old Ulie Cowart during the robbery, but assault charges were either disposed or dismissed, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Foss Sr appeared in court on Monday where he tearfully told the judge that he had enrolled in a technical college. He was denied bond.
A fundraising page has been set up to help the parents cover the cost of a funeral for their son
Foss Sr was reportedly convicted of strong arm robbery in 2012 in South Carolina
At least two other toddlers were killed in accidental shootings in the US on Saturday.
In Fresno, California, a two-year-old boy shot himself with one of his parents’ guns while home alone.
In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a four-year-old boy fatally shot himself in a hotel room.
On Sunday, another two-year-old fatally shot himself in Houston.
Data compiled by AP and USA TODAY in 2016 revealed that a child was shot to death every other day on average somewhere in the US.
Deaths and injuries spiked for children under five, and were more prevalent in Southern states, the research shows.
Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi all ranked in the top 10 states with the highest per capita rates of accidental shootings.
In most cases of children killing themselves with guns, ‘it’s clear from the facts that they were preventable, and that just makes them even more tragic,’ Lindsay Nichols, federal policy director at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, told AP on Monday.
The California-based nonprofit provides technical advice to lawmakers, law enforcers, citizens and others trying to curb gun violence.
‘I think it’s dependent on our nation’s leaders and policy makers to really make this a priority and recognize that these kinds of tragedies are happening way too often,’ Nichols said.
‘For too many of our kids, their lives are at risk because adults are not doing the responsible thing and properly storing their guns.’