An infant was fatally shot in the face after a 3-year-old toddler fired the gun, according to Pennsylvania police.
The Lancaster Bureau of Police (LBP) said officers were alerted to reports of a shooting in the 500 block of Woodward Street at about 7:05 p.m. local time on Tuesday, October 18.
When police arrived, they found an infant lying on the floor of the home with an apparent gunshot wound to the face.
An LBP spokesperson said: “Officers rendered aid to the infant and were assisted by responding Emergency Medical Services personnel. Medical personnel took over the treatment of the victim.
“Tragically, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel.”
According to the gun Violence Archive, a database that monitors the number of shootings across the U.S., 42 people in Pennsylvania have been fatally shot since October 1.
The database also showed that 12 children aged 0 to 11 had been fatally shot dead in the state since January 1, 2022.
During the investigation, police spoke to witnesses and learned a 3-year-old inside the residence fired the weapon that killed the infant.
NBC affiliate WGAL reported the infant’s grandfather had said the toddler was a relative and that the victim was his year-old grandson.
The victim’s family members held a vigil on Wednesday evening and were accompanied by pastor Carmen Morales.
She told the network: “It’s a sad, sad picture to see. I pray that the community will come together and really show up.”
Police have not arrested anyone in connection with the shooting and an investigation is ongoing.
The LBP spokesperson added: “There is no additional danger or threat to the community at this time.”
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Lancaster City Bureau of Police at 717 735-3301 to speak with an officer or investigator.
Newsweek has contacted the LBP for comment.
In October, a toddler was shot dead in front of his mother and siblings during a road rage incident in Chicago, police said.
Mateo Zastro, 3, had been riding in a car with his mother and siblings when an altercation started with the occupants of another vehicle.
Following the incident, the driver followed Zastro’s mother to Marquette Road, near Kildare Avenue, and opened fire, according to police. One of the bullets struck Mateo in the head.
In another case in October, a grandmother and a toddler were allegedly fatally shot by a relative in a Georgia home.
Ursula Dietz, 64, and 19-month-old Elenor Dietz were killed at a house at 2617 Hilton Avenue in Columbus.
Dietz’s son, Kevin, who is also Elenor’s uncle, has been taken into custody following the double killing.