NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A 3-year-old boy is dead after an "accidental shooting" in Newport News Thursday, police say.
Officers got to the scene in the 1200 block of 26th Street right after 9 a.m. That's in the Chestnut section of the city.
According to Newport News police, the child was suffering from a gunshot wound when officers arrived and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police are calling the shooting "accidental."
The boy's father, Nathan Copeland, was charged with distribution/possession of marijuana. Other charges are pending.
That child is not the only 3-year-old killed this week.
On Monday, a different child across the water got a hold of a loaded and unattended gun, according to Portsmouth police.
Police found him with a gunshot wound to the head and the child died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Gun safety expert Joel Jones finds both instances unbelievable.
"A 3-year-old child, man, that just... that saddens me. It really does," Jones said.
Jones teaches gun safety classes in Virginia Beach for this reason, he said, to help people handle guns carefully.
He encourages people to have lockboxes in their homes, as well as use locks on the firearms themselves.
"If you don’t have a box, you can also… if you have a safe or a cabinet with a lock. Something where a 3-year-old child cannot get to it," he said.
He said if you’re not sure how to store or handle your firearms safely, especially when children are around, there is no shame in asking questions.
"There’s this stigma about getting educated, getting trained in areas where we should get trained the most, in particular firearms."
Jones said there are so many resources available to make sure people are handling their guns safely, including his own free classes.
In the Portsmouth case, 20-year-old Jaquan Askew was arrested and charged with allowing access to firearms by children.