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A Georgia toddler has died after accidentally shooting himself in a Walmart parking lot as his parents were shopping just feet away.
Nakyzi Odums, 2, was left alone in the car on the afternoon of July 3 while his parents were buying fireworks at a nearby stand, according to local news outlet WALB.
Witnesses told police that Nakyzi’s parents heard the gunshot and ran back to their car where they found the boy had shot himself in the chest. The child was rushed to the hospital in Douglas, Georgia, and later transferred to a trauma center in Jacksonville, Florida, where he died on Saturday, police said in a Facebook post.
Douglas Police Chief Brannen Pruette said investigators are trying to figure out how the toddler got a hold of the gun.
“Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident,” he said.
Witnesses said Nakyzi was sitting in the front seat of the car, and that the gun may have been in the side of the car door, WALB reported.
“You’re allowed to have a gun in the car, but when there’s a child involved, you need to make sure that the gun is secure so that the child doesn’t have access to it,” Pruette said, addressing the theory.
It’s unclear if the parents – identified by family as Sam Odums and Laileighauna Parks – will face charges in the incident. They are not listed in recent arrest reports viewed by The Independent.
“Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident,” police said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.”
The child’s grandmother Candi Brinson has created a GoFundMe for the family to help pay for the burial and to allow his parents to “grieve properly.”
She described Nakyzi as a boy who “smiled brightly, laughed wholeheartedly [and] loved unconditionally.”
