Arkansas sheriff: Boy, 2, dies of gunshot wound; shooting believed accidental

DANVILLE -- Yell County authorities said Thursday that they believe the fatal shooting of a 2-year-old boy at his home near Danville earlier this week was accidental.

Family members told Yell County sheriff's deputies that they were unsure how the child, Jacob Chronister, reached the gun, which they said was normally kept on top of a bedroom cabinet.

"They indicated to officers that they had seen the child playing [in] the hallway and then they heard the weapon discharge," a sheriff's news release said.

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Deputies said the toddler was dead from a single gunshot wound when they arrived at the home on Belleville Ridge Road just north of Danville on Tuesday night. Family members called 911 after the shooting.

Authorities have sent the child's body to the state medical examiner for autopsy. The sheriff's office said its investigation was continuing.

State Desk on 06/23/2017

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