4-Year-Old Girl Shoots and Kills 4-Year-Old Cousin

The girl found a loaded rifle under a bed while playing in a relative’s Detroit home

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A 4-year-old girl shot and killed her cousin, a 4-year-old boy, after she found a loaded rifle Thursday under a bed in the Detroit home of a man believed to be her grandfather, police said.

Authorities said Friday that the girl was playing with her cousin and her sister, 5, when she found the weapon, pointed it at the boy and shot him in the chest, the Associated Press reports.

“It’s a tragic incident,” Sgt. Michael Woody told the Associated Press. “It’s really not anything more than that. There was no malicious intent. There was nothing there to suggest that the grandfather put those children in harm’s way, but the investigation will continue.”

The names of the people involved were not released. An investigation is underway to determine whether any charges will be brought.

[AP]