NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — An investigation is underway after police said a three-year-old boy was killed in an "accidental" shooting Thursday morning in Newport News.
Officers were called to the 1200 block of 26th Street for a report of a shooting just before 9:10 a.m., according to Newport News Police.
When officers arrived, they found a 3-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound. The child was pronounced decad at the scene, according to police.
"The shooting appeared to be accidental," police wrote in a news release Friday.
The boy's father, Nathan Copeland, was arrested on an unrelated charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
The investigation into the child's death remains ongoing and police said other charges are pending.
In a separate incident, a 3-year-old boy was accidentally shot to death in Portsmouth on Ash Street on Monday, April 3.
Newly obtained court documents in the Portsmouth incident revealed that investigators believe the “firearm was left loaded and unattended.”Police arrested 20-year-old Jaquan Askew in relation to this incident and charged him with allowing access to firearms by children.
