A 21-month-old toddler who was fatally shot near St. Louis Tuesday found a handgun and shot himself, police said.
The child was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead after being shot at around 1 p.m. in Hanley Hills, a village northwest of St. Louis, the St. Louis County Police Department said. Police said later Tuesday that the shooting was accidental. "Detectives believe the victim picked up a loaded handgun and shot himself," St. Louis County police said in a statement.
Police said officers made an arrest, but would not disclose that person's name or charges until the case is presented to prosecutors.
The deadly shooting occurred just a week after a 9-year-old, Jamyla Bolden, was fatally shot as she did her homework in nearby Ferguson Aug. 18 after someone opened fired into her home through a window, NBC affiliate KSDK reported.
Hanley Hills is a village of about 2,100 people, according to U.S. Census data.
