NJ Toddler Shoots Friend While Playing

An NJ toddler accidentally shot his friend in the head while they were playing Monday evening, authorities said.

NJ Toddler Shoots Friend

The 4-year-old toddler and his 6-year-old male friend were playing in the younger boy's yard in Toms River, New Jersey when the incident happened.

The toddler reportedly left his playmate for a while to go inside his family's house and came back with a .22-caliber rifle. The 6-year-old was sitting in a go-kart when the shot was fired from about 15 yards away, according to the police.

Authorities are still investigating whether the 4-year-old actually pulled the trigger or whether it accidentally discharged.

The toddler's parents were home at the time and called 911 after the shot was fired, Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastrondardy said during a news conference Tuesday morning.

The 6-year-old, who was flown to the Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, is reportedly in "critical condition."

The tragic accident took place just two days after another 4-year-old toddler accidentally shot and killed the 48-year-old wife of a Tennessee sheriff’s deputy. The deputy sheriff was showing his weapons to a relative in his bedroom when his wife and his 4-year-old nephew came in. The young boy managed to pick up a gun off the bed. The loaded handgun discharged, hitting the woman.