A 12-year-old boy died from a gunshot wound Thursday night after he was accidentally shot while wrestling over a rifle with his brother inside their Arkansas home, authorities said.
The boy, whose name wasn't released, died after being hit shortly before 7 p.m. at the family's home in the 700 block of Short Front Street in Altheimer, Jefferson County sheriff's office Maj. Lafayette Woods, Jr. said in a statement.
Woods said investigators learned through interviews with the boy's 13-year-old brother and their father, Derick Shelton, that the two youths began wrestling over the firearm when the dad left the home "for a brief moment."
"While wrestling with the rifle, the weapon discharged and the younger Shelton was shot in the neck by his brother," Woods said in a statement.
The boy was taken to Jefferson County Regional Medical Center, but he died before arriving, police said.
Investigators reportedly collected the rifle and shell casing from the home as evidence, though Woods said no charges are expected against Shelton or the 13-year-old.
“It was tragic accident,” he said. “Moving forward, we want to find ways to prevent tragic accidents like this from occurring because no mother or father should have to bury their child; especially so premature.”