Six-year-old boy dies after neighbour, four, shoots him in the head with .22-calibre rifle as they played outside their homes

A boy aged just six who was accidentally shot in the head by a four-year-old neighbour playing with a rifle in the street outside their homes has died of his wounds.

Brandon Holt, from Toms River, New Jersey, was pronounced dead at 5pm yesterday, less than 24 hours after he was shot in the head with a .22-calibre rifle.

He had been rushed to hospital on Monday in a serious condition after his four-year-old neighbour, whose name has not been released, took the gun from his home and fired it accidentally.



Tragic: The father of the 6-year-old victim, Brandon Holt, who was shot in the head by a 4-year-old neighbour, pictured after the shooting but before the youngster passed away yesterday evening




Brandon, who was about 15 yards away from the younger boy at the time, was rushed to hospital in a serious condition after the shooter's mother called 911.

The younger child was not hurt.

Prosecutor Joseph Coronato, speaking earlier yesterday at a news conference, said the boy got the .22-caliber rifle from his home and it discharged accidentally on Monday evening.




The younger boy's mother called the emergency dispatcher to report the shooting, Mr Coronato said.

He said it was too early in the investigation to know whether anyone would be charged. He would not say who owned the gun or speculate on how the four-year-old got his hands on it.

Toms River police Chief Michael Mastronardy, who last night announced the news of the death, called the shooting tragic and said it affected the whole community, a sentiment shared by those who live there.

The shooting occurred in what neighbors say is a quiet residential area of the Ocean County community, at a home near the edge of a cul-de-sac.

One resident said the two families had not lived in the neighbourhood for long and she did not know them well.


Shocking: The shooting occurred n what neighbors say is a quiet residential area of the Ocean County community in Toms River, NJ, at a home near the edge of a cul-de-sac



Investigation: Police are still investigating and say they do not yet know if they will charge anyone in connection with the shooting. They would not answer questions on how the four-year-old got hold of the gun


Debi Coto, who lives a few doors down from where the incident took place, said: 'I'm sad for the children involved and their families, but I'm angry with whoever owns that gun and allowed a little child to get hold of it.

'A four-year-old can't load a gun.

'I had just been telling my sister how nice it is to see kids playing together and enjoying themselves, and then this happens.'

Ms Coto said the four-year-old's mother seemed very upset in the minutes after the shooting and appeared to be trying to comprehend what had happened.

The shooting came just days after another four-year-old boy in Tennessee grabbed a loaded gun at a family cookout and accidentally shot dead the wife of a sheriff's deputy.

The killings will add fuel to the current debate over gun control laws in the wake of December's Sandy Hook elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.