An 11-year-old boy has died after accidentally being shot by his 12-year-old sister while hunting for rabbits in Mississippi on Saturday in what officials are describing as a "horrible tragedy."
The siblings were hunting for rabbits with their 19-year-old stepbrother at their grandmother's house in Jones County when the incident took place at around 9:35 p.m., according to the local reports.
The victim had handed his sister a .22-caliber rifle so that she could shoot at a rabbit.
However, as she was taking aim, the boy got up and crossed her line of fire. She pulled the trigger and ended up shooting him in the head, according to The Laurel Leader-Call.
MOM ACCUSED OF SHOOTING TWO YOUNG SONS IN THE HEAD SAYS 'IT WAS AN ACCIDENT'
Family members provided aid to the critically injured boy before he was rushed by ambulance to Forrest General Hospital and then the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
He continued to fight for his life but eventually succumbed to his injuries.
The boy and his sister have not been named given their age.
WISCONSIN HUNTING ACCIDENT RESULTS IN 11-YEAR-OLD'S DEATH
Lance Chancellor, the Jones County Sheriff's Department public information officer, said the incident at Alex Knight Road in Ovett was heartbreaking and that it had taken a toll on everyone involved.
However, he said the boy's organs may save lives.
"Out of this horrible tragedy, some child or children somewhere around the country will receive organ donations that could be the gift of life," Chancellor said, according to the Clarion Ledger.
"Right now, our investigation is sadly ongoing," said Col. Jerry Carter, chief of law enforcement for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
The agency took the lead in the investigation because the shooting was hunting-related.
