Boy, 4, Shot Dead While ‘Playing Alone’ in Tennessee Apartment Complex

Stock image of a police car. (Shutterstock)

A 4-year-old boy has died in Memphis, Tennessee, after he was fatally shot in an apartment complex on June 24, according to reports.

The child was playing with another toddler in a room alone at the time of the incident, officers from the Memphis Police Department said. It is unclear how many times the 4-year-old was shot.

The toddler was rushed from the Frayser apartment to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in critical condition, but sadly passed away shortly afterwards from his injuries, police said, according to U.S News and World Report.

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The Memphis Police Department wrote on Twitter on June 25: “At 1:34 p.m. officers responded to a shooting call at 3670 Pershing Park Drive. A male toddler was shot.

“At this time, it is undetermined how/who shot the child. He was transported to LeBonheur in critical condition. This is an ongoing investigation.”

“Preliminary information indicates that two toddlers were in the room playing alone when the shooting occurred. This is an ongoing investigation,” police added several hours later.

Rodney Davis, who was in the area at the time, told WMC5 he and his brother heard one shot and saw emergency services rush to the scene.

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“My brother stays right around the corner. He heard it. I had dropped him off and we heard it. We saw the ambulance coming. It’s just got to stop,” Davis told the outlet.

A resident described the incident as “heartbreaking,” and added, “it’s absolutely heartbreaking when you make the scene of anybody, a child or an adult,” reported News Channel 3.

According to Fox13, investigators confirmed adults were present in the Memphis apartment complex when the shooting happened.

A woman told WMC5 a summer camp was taking place in the building, and explained that she was collecting her child.

“I didn’t even know a child got shot. I’m just on my way to pick up mine up from summer camp,” the woman said.

Another horrified resident told the outlet: “That’s so awful. It’s just crazy. Memphis is crazy. It’s like all this stuff happening in Memphis. It’s senseless.”

No arrests have been made yet in connection with the incident as Memphis police officers carry out an investigation to determine what happened.

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The Memphis Police Department reminded residents on June 24 that gun locks are available free of charge at their local precinct.

“Just a friendly reminder to secure your firearms. There are FREE gun locks available at your local Memphis Police precinct,” the department wrote on Twitter.

Man Accused of Mowing Down Toddler and Pregnant Woman

Last week, a pregnant woman from Tennessee and her 2-year-old son were killed after a man intentionally mowed them down, police said.

Thirty-year-old Sierra Wilson Cahoon, her unborn child, and her toddler, Nolan, died on June 17 when driver William David Phillips “intentionally” ran them over, said the Jefferson City Police Department in a statement last week.

Police described the incident as “an intentional act of violence toward randomly chosen pedestrians.”

The accused is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder, and police said they expect to file another first-degree murder charge, reported the New York Daily News.