Oregon boy, 3, dies after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a gun he found in an unlocked bedroom drawer

A three-year-old boy has died after he accidentally shot himself in the head with a gun that he found inside a home in Oregon on Friday night.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a shooting in the 7100 block of SW Millennium Terrace in Aloha just before 10pm on October 9.

Family members of three-year-old James Kenneth Lindquester called 911 to report that the toddler had found an unsecured handgun in an end table drawer in a bedroom and had shot himself in the head at around 9.50pm.

Detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit and the Special Investigations Unit responded to the scene, along with EMTs.

Little James was unresponsive upon arrival. Emergency responders took over from the family and began administering life-saving efforts.

The boy was rushed to hospital after attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

James died from his injuries just under two hours later and was officially pronounced dead shortly before midnight. 

Family members of three-year-old James Kenneth Lindquester called 911 to report that the toddler had found an unsecured handgun in an end table drawer in a bedroom and had shot himself in the head at around 9.50pm

Detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit and the Special Investigations Unit responded to the scene, along with EMTs. Little James was unresponsive upon arrival

When approached by KATU2, the boy’s parents declined to speak on camera and said they were keeping the matter private.

The boy’s father, the father’s girlfriend, and another child were home at the time of the shooting, according to the WSCO.

Deputies said the boy was alone in the bedroom when the gun went off.

No charges have been filed, but authorities are investigating the incident. Sheriff deputies say the decision on whether charges will be issued will ultimately be left for the District Attorney to decide.

An autopsy conducted by the Oregon State Medical Examiner was scheduled to take place over the weekend, though no findings have yet been released.

Washington County Deputy Shannon Wilde said the call was one of the toughest that her department has had to respond to.

‘I think if you ask any first responder, the death of a child is the absolute worst call that we go to,’ she told KOMO.

‘It’s tough, a lot of us are parents ourselves. I know some of the responders on scene last night have children, some have children the same age as this little boy and it’s tough. We see a lot of horrible things but seeing a child in that situation is the worst.’

James tragically died from his injuries just under two hours later and was officially pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly before midnight

No charges have been filed, but authorities are investigating the incident. Sheriff deputies say the decision on whether charges will be issued will ultimately be left for the District Attorney to decide

James' family submitted photos to the sheriff’s office to be publicly shared, the Oregonian reported. 

In the wake of James’ death, the sheriff’s office has urged gun owners to keep firearms locked up and stored away from ammunitions to prevent any such tragedies from occurring again.

Penny Okamoto with Cease Fire Oregon echoed that advice to KATU2.

‘If people choose to have a firearm in the home, it’s got to be kept locked up and unloaded,’ Okamoto told the network. ‘The burden is really on the adult gun owner to make sure that the firearm is secure at all time.’

Okamoto also said that parents should teach their young children about the dangers of firearms, particularly if guns are being kept inside a home.

‘We always need to have conversations with our children about danger and one thing that we encourage with cease fire Oregon education association is tell the children when they see a gun don’t touch, leave the area tell and adult,’ Okamoto said.