5-year-old girl dead after finding loaded gun in father’s backpack

A five-year-old girl in Maine accidentally shot and killed herself after she discovered a loaded gun inside her grandparents’ Scarborough home.

WCSH reports that Elise Dorr, 5, died on Monday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The little girl reportedly found the loaded .45 caliber handgun in her father’s backpack while they were at her grandparents’ home.

Maine Public Safety Spokesperson Steve McCausland told the news station that the cause of death was an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Elise’s father, Todd Dorr, reportedly told police he was in the bedroom where the tragic accident took place. He said he was there with his daughter when he moved across the room to adjust the television, and just then heard the sound of a gunshot.

The family, including Elise’s mother and her two older siblings, were reportedly housesitting for her grandparents at the time of the shooting.

The little girl was pronounced dead at Maine Medical Center. The State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and confirmed that the death was accidental.

Maine State Police told the news station that the tragedy should serve as an urgent reminder that firearms should always be secured and kept out of the reach of children.

An investigation is still underway, and no charges have been filed at this time.

 

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