2-year-old Arkansas boy dies of gunshot wound, officials say

Arkansas authorities are investigating after a 2-year-old boy died of a gunshot wound in what appears to be an accident, officials said Thursday.

Deputies with the Yell County sheriff's office were sent to a home on Belleville Ridge Road just north of Danville around 7:20 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a news release.

When they arrived, they found 2-year-old Jacob Chronister dead from an apparent gunshot wound, the release said.

Family members told police they were not sure how the child reached the gun because it was normally stored on top of a cabinet in the bedroom, the release said. They told police they had seen Jacob playing in the hallway and then heard the weapon discharge, after which they called 911.

The boy's body was sent to the Arkansas medical examiner's office for autopsy.

The investigation into the suspected accidental shooting is ongoing, the release said.

Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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